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France is moving closer to banning social media for users under the age of 15, citing growing concerns over young people’s mental health. The move comes as other European countries consider similar restrictions. Al Jazeera’s Aly Zein Mohamed explains.

The recent declassification of the United States’ Jumpseat spy satellite provides details on what was previously a highly secretive system, one that monitored critical Soviet military assets during some of the tensest years of the Cold War. While still redacted, the declassification provides never-before-seen imagery of a pioneering system that served the U.S. intelligence community for 35 years.

The declassification of certain elements of the Jumpseat program was announced by the director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the Pentagon intelligence branch responsible for U.S. government reconnaissance satellites.

There were eight satellite launches under Jumpseat (also known as AFP-711), between 1971 and 1987, one of them unsuccessful. Developed by the U.S. Air Force as part of the NRO’s Program A, the satellites were carried by Titan IIIB launch vehicles. Based on an original intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) design, these rockets lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base (now Vandenberg Space Force Base) in California.

System for Space – Titan III (remastered USAF documentary)

The NRO confirms the mission numbers 7701 to 7708 for the eight Jumpseat launches. Analysts had previously attempted to match the Jumpseat missions to known space launches out of Vandenberg, although so far only the first and last of these have actually been declassified. There is a possibility that some of the launches normally assessed to involve Jumpseat actually carried other payloads.

The NRO confirms our belief that there were 8 JUMPSEAT launches in 1981-87. and gives the dates for JUMPSEAT 1 and 8. Another program, QUASAR, had data relay satellites in the same orbit, and NRO has not released the dates for JS2 to 7 so we aren’t sure which launch is which.

— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) January 29, 2026

As a signals-collection satellite, Jumpseat was an important part of the broader signals intelligence (SIGINT) community. In simple terms, SIGINT assets are used to detect and intercept communications and other electronic emissions. Whether radios or radars, those emitters can also be geolocated and categorized, as well as listened in on.

Jumpseat was also active in two subsets of SIGINT. The first was communications intelligence (COMINT), including keeping tabs on day-to-day communications between military personnel, by eavesdropping on electronic signals. Secondly, Jumpseat gathered foreign instrumentation signals intelligence (FISINT), which involves intercepting and analyzing electromagnetic emissions from foreign weapon systems, such as missile telemetry, radar, and tracking signals. Particular military emitters of interest to Jumpseat likely included air defenses and command and control nodes, with the data gathered being used to help build an electronic order of battle of an adversary nation, specifically the Soviet Union.

Jumpseat collections “were initially against other adversarial countries’ weapon systems capabilities,” the document states, without providing more details.

Previously classified imagery of Jumpseat has also been released, with the NRO providing a mix of diagrams, artwork, and photos of models and test specimens.

As far as is known, the Jumpseat satellites were built by Hughes, using a spin-stabilized bus, similar to that used in the TACSAT and the Intelsat-4 communications satellites. Key features of Jumpseat included a large, partially foldable dish antenna for data collection, as well as a smaller dish antenna to send data back to the ground.

What is interesting is that the main reflector of the JUMPSAT SIGINT antenna seems to have deployable parts…

Comparing the model vs the EMC chamber vs the shaker setup, the EMC chamber pic clearly has the reflector in a “deployed” state, vs folded for the shaker pic… https://t.co/k0oEiVZ0BE pic.twitter.com/36oo35yu3u

— DutchSpace (@DutchSpace) January 29, 2026

“The historical significance of Jumpseat cannot be understated,” said Dr. James Outzen, NRO director of the Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance, in a statement from the office. “Its orbit provided the United States a new vantage point for the collection of unique and critical signals intelligence from space.”

Jumpseat came as a follow-on to earlier electronic surveillance satellites, including Grab, Poppy, and Parcae.

These had begun to be fielded as the deepening Cold War heralded the possibility of a future weapons threat from space. This is something that was hammered home by the Soviet Union’s successful launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite, which would soon be followed by the first generation of ICBMs based on the same rocket technology.

“Following the end of World War II, threats of globally spreading communism and nuclear weapons proliferation fueled Americans’ anxiety of the unknown,” the NRO explains. “Across the world, the United States suspected that more American adversaries were building out extensive, topline defense arsenals including long-range missiles and atomic weapons.”

“Jumpseat’s core mission focus was to monitor adversarial offensive and defensive weapon system development,” the NRO states. “From its further orbital position, it aimed to collect data that might offer unique insight into existing and emerging threats.”

Jumpseat operated in a transponder mode, sending downlinked data to the NRO for initial processing. Once processed, the data was provided to the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency, and other national security elements.

While the NRO’s first electronic surveillance satellites — like Grab, Poppy, and Parcae — operated in low-earth orbit, Program A was tasked with developing a satellite for signals collection from a highly elliptical orbit. This was known as Project Earpop.

Jumpseat emerged from Earpop as “the United States’ first-generation, highly elliptical orbit (HEO) signals-collection satellite.” HEO refers to an elongated, egg-shaped trajectory, which is especially relevant for a spy satellite. In this way, the satellite has significant ‘dwell time’ at two points of its orbit, as it ascends and descends to its apogee.

In Jumpseat’s case, HEO kept the satellite for longer periods at high altitude over the northern polar regions: ideal for keeping watch on the Soviet Union. HEO above the northern polar regions is sometimes known as a Molniya orbit, after a series of Soviet satellites that operated here.

HEO, in this instance, should not be confused with a high-Earth orbit (HEO), one that takes a spacecraft beyond the geostationary orbital belt, which is defined as being around 22,236 miles above sea level.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that one of the key missions of Jumpseat was to monitor Soviet ballistic missile warning radars in the far north of the country. That would certainly make sense based on orbits, although there were plenty of other military emitters of great interest to the United States and its allies in this region.

FMI visualisation of HEO satellites monitoring the Arctic

The Jumpseat declassification memorandum notes that the satellites “performed admirably” and were only removed from the NRO’s SIGINT architecture as late as 2006.

The NRO says that the partial declassification of Jumpseat now is justified since these “will not cause harm to our current and future satellite systems.” The office also notes that it wants to bring attention to the program for its pioneering role in HEO signals-collection satellites.

As to what kinds of capabilities have taken over from Jumpseat, most aspects of these remain as secretive as their predecessor once was.

There are various unverified reports that a series of satellites known as Trumpet have taken over from Jumpseat. There are, meanwhile, many other large, classified payloads that the NRO has launched into space and which could perform similar functions

Meanwhile, this area of intelligence collection is increasingly being farmed out to commercial enterprises.

As the NRO states, “overhead collection of signals is no longer a government-only endeavor as several unclassified commercial ventures have launched signal collection systems whose capabilities are comparable if not superior to Jumpseat.”

As we have discussed in the past, the commercial space sector has opened up the possibility of constellations featuring potentially hundreds of intelligence-gathering satellites, and it will herald another revolution in both tactical and strategic space-based sensing. Starlink-like constellations, but used for sensing — which the United States is already pursuing — would be able to provide persistent surveillance of the entire globe at any given time. This would allow for continuous surveillance of any spot on the planet, not just snapshots in time taken during orbital flyovers by individual satellites. It is by no means clear what types of electronic intelligence collection can be done by such a constellation due to the small individual antenna sizes on each satellite, but if those limitations can be overcome, it could change how and when the U.S. monitors the electronic emissions of its adversaries.

Watch SpaceX deploy Starlink satellites into space

Regardless, having more satellites available and having ways to rapidly deploy new systems into orbit are increasingly urgent priorities, considering the stated level of threat posed to them by Russia and, increasingly, China.

Whatever is out there, or is set to be out there in the future, it will be indebted to the trailblazing work done by the secretive Jumpseat program.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

Jan. 29 (UPI) — Chinese e-commerce platform Temu has taken its dispute with Mercado Libre to federal court after Argentina’s largest online marketplace accused it of unfair competition.

Mercado Libre filed a complaint in August 2025 with Argentina’s Secretariat of Industry and Commerce, alleging Temu violated Commercial Fairness Decree No. 274/2019, which governs truthful advertising and fair competition in the country.

After reviewing the filing, the National Directorate of Policies for the Development of the Domestic Market opened an investigation and ordered Temu to suspend digital advertising and promotions deemed misleading.

In response, Temu turned to federal court Wednesday to try to halt the administrative measure and maintain its operations in Argentina, Argentine daily La Nacion reported.

According to the complaint, the company founded by Argentine entrepreneur Marcos Galperin challenged Temu’s commercial strategy, which Mercado Libre said relies on extreme discounts and promotions that are not met under the conditions advertised, local outlet Ambito reported.

Among the main allegations are discounts ranging from 80% to 100% that apply only if users meet additional requirements, such as minimum purchase amounts, buying other products or completing purchases within the app.

Mercado Libre also accused Temu of what it described as “misleading gamification,” using games and interactive features that promise prizes or free products, but in practice impose increasingly complex and unclear conditions.

The dispute is now under the jurisdiction of the National Chamber of Appeals in Civil and Commercial Federal Matters, which must determine the next steps in the case, Infobae reported.

Temu rejected the allegations and said its business model is transparent and that prices, discounts and conditions are clearly disclosed to users, which the company contended rules out consumer deception.

Mercado Libre said the complaint is not related to Argentina’s opening of imports, a policy it supports. The company noted that it also offers imported goods through its international purchases category and competes in what it described as a dynamic and open market with both local and global players.

The legal battle unfolds amid rapid growth in cross-border e-commerce in Argentina. Data cited in the case show door-to-door purchases through platforms such as Temu and Shein posted increases close to 300% year over year, driven by low prices, direct shipping and intensive social media marketing.

The expansion of the Chinese platforms has revived debate over the regulatory framework for digital commerce and competition between domestic and foreign companies, Perfil reported.

Mercado Libre executives reiterated the need for rules that are “the same for everyone,” as the case becomes a key recent precedent on competition and advertising in Argentina’s e-commerce sector.

Caracas, January 28, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – International creditors have shown growing optimism to collect on defaulted Venezuelan debt in the wake of the January 3 US military strikes and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro.

According to Bloomberg, the volume of Venezuelan bonds traded increased tenfold since the start of the year. Securities have rallied to around 40 cents on the dollar, having hit lows of 1.5 cents on the dollar in the past.

A combination of defaulted bonds, unpaid loans and arbitration awards is estimated to total up to US $170 billion after years of accruing interest. The Maduro government began defaulting on debt service in 2017 as US sanctions crippled the Caribbean nation’s economy and ultimately blocked financial transactions altogether.

The Venezuelan Creditor Committee (VCC) expressed “readiness” to discuss a debt restructuring deal when authorized. The group brings together creditors including GMO, Greylock Capital, Mangart Capital, and Morgan Stanley, which hold over $10 billion in sovereign and state oil company PDVSA bonds.

Elias Ferrer Breda, financial analyst and director of Orinoco Research, told Venezuelanalysis that the “enthusiasm” means creditors feel a debt restructuring deal is “closer,” but warned that any agreement will hinge on US recognition of the Venezuelan government.

“The recognition, along with the lifting of primary sanctions, is the final obstacle,” he said. “There have been steps to reopen the US embassy in Caracas and a Venezuelan delegation headed by Félix Plasencia also visited DC.”

The first Trump administration recognized the self-proclaimed “interim government” led by Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate authority in 2019, prompting Caracas to break diplomatic relations. After the parallel Guaidó administration dissolved in 2022, Washington transferred the recognition to the opposition-majority National Assembly whose term expired in 2021.

The small group of US-backed politicians retains control over Venezuelan-owned assets in the US. For its part, the Venezuelan government headed by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has advocated a renewed diplomatic engagement with Washington. The two administrations have taken steps to reopen the respective embassies.

Ferrer, who also directs the Guacamaya media outlet, suggested that the State Department has no immediate plans to change its formal recognition of the defunct parliament. 

“However, there is a de facto recognition of the Rodríguez acting government being built,” he went on to add. “This will become de jure sooner or later; it could be a few months or even a couple of years.”

Venezuela’s inability to sustain debt service, including settlements with creditors, as a result of sanctions, saw many corporations pursue legal avenues to collect. Crystallex, ConocoPhillips and several other companies are set to benefit from the proceeds of the forced judicial auction of Venezuela’s US-based refiner CITGO.

Washington’s formal recognition of the Rodríguez acting administration could also pave the way for Venezuela to access about $4.9 billion in “special drawing rights” issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF created the liquidity instruments in 2021 to help governments deal with the Covid-19 pandemic but blocked Venezuela from accessing its share as it followed Trump’s lead in not recognizing the Nicolás Maduro government.

According to reports, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently held meetings with the heads of the IMF and the World Bank to discuss a possible re-engagement with the South American country.

For their part, Venezuelan authorities have expressed a willingness to engage with creditors in the past, but US sanctions preempted any meaningful engagement.

Caracas’ debt also includes long-term oil-for-loan agreements with China. However, with Washington’s naval blockade recently blocking China-bound crude shipments, Beijing has reportedly sought assurances of the repayment of debts estimated at $10-20 billion.

BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 29 (UPI) — Uruguay has raised warning signals in its economic policy after its currency appreciated the most in the world against the dollar this week — a situation the government views as a risk to export competitiveness and the pace of economic growth.

In recent days, the Uruguayan peso strengthened more than comparable currencies and moved to the top of global foreign exchange performance. As a result, the dollar fell 3.1% in the local market, a deeper decline than those recorded in Brazil, Chile or Colombia.

The scenario set off alarms within the economic team. To counter the dollar’s weakness, the Central Bank of Uruguay announced a cut to its benchmark interest rate to 6.5% to discourage financial capital inflows and ease pressure on the local currency.

Along the same lines, the Economy Ministry confirmed forward dollar purchases and coordination with state-owned companies to increase demand for the U.S. currency. Those steps are complemented by measures aimed at reducing domestic costs and supporting economic activity, investment and employment, as concerns begin to mount in the productive sector.

Uruguayan economist Luciano Magnífico, of the Catholic University of Uruguay, said the dollar’s behavior in the country cannot be analyzed in isolation.

“The evolution of the dollar in Uruguay has closely tracked what has happened internationally, and particularly its performance against other regional currencies,” he told UPI.

According to Magnífico, the recent weakness of the U.S. currency largely reflects external factors.

“This weakening was closely linked to economic policies promoted during the first year of the Trump administration, especially on trade. That generated significant volatility in financial variables, and Uruguay was not immune to that dynamic,” he said.

The problem, he said, is that Uruguay’s economy already was expensive in terms of the dollar before this episode.

“According to the main indicators, Uruguay had been carrying an overvaluation for years, and this new drop in the dollar further aggravated that situation,” he said.

That combination hits exporters hardest because they are paid in dollars while many of their costs are in pesos. “When the exchange rate falls, the margin between income and expenses shrinks,” the economist explained. In some cases, that gap can become critical for business continuity.

Gonzalo Oleggini, a Uruguayan foreign trade consultant, focused on companies’ day-to-day operations.

“In Uruguay, as in many countries, foreign trade is conducted in dollars. An exporting industry, such as glass manufacturing, collects in dollars, but pays most of its costs in pesos,” he told UPI.

That mismatch becomes more visible when the dollar loses value.

“A year ago, each dollar brought in 40 pesos. A few days ago, it was 36. That means that for the same sale, a company receives less money to cover virtually the same costs, or even higher ones, because there is inflation and wages are rising,” he said.

Oleggini stressed that the impact is greater in labor-intensive sectors.

“Wages and social contributions weigh heavily in the cost structure. Since Uruguay does not have a highly automated industry, the blow remains strong,” he said.

As a result, much of the productive sector is affected.

“The meatpacking industry, plastics, services, logistics, tourism. The country becomes more expensive in dollar terms, making it harder to sell goods and services abroad,” he said. “Ultimately, the entire export sector, both goods and services, is the most affected.”

The concern is also explained by the weight of foreign trade in the economy.

Uruguay generates about $75 billion a year in economic output, and close to $24 billion of that comes from foreign trade in goods and services.

“It is one of the central pillars of the country’s production,” the consultant said.

One of the sectors generating the strongest concern is agriculture.

“That the dollar keeps falling and has been clearly below 40 pesos for several days is quite frustrating for us,” Rafael Ferber, president of the Rural Association of Uruguay, told local newspaper El Observador.

“We feel that macroeconomic measures continue to be taken in the wrong direction,” he said.

Ferber warned that the combination of factors pushing the exchange rate lower has made the situation “absolutely critical” for producers and exporters.

“Uruguay is basically an exporting country, something that is often poorly measured. It exports close to 70% of what it produces. Therefore, it depends on foreign currency much more than other countries,” he said.

Carmen Porteiro, president of the Uruguayan Exporters Union, said recent government decisions are moving in the right direction, although she noted the sector has been warning since last year about the impact of peso appreciation on competitiveness.

That loss of margins, she said, translates into lower investment, workforce adjustments and, in extreme cases, business closures, with direct effects on employment and future growth.

Oleggini said it is difficult to act against a global trend.

“The ability of a small economy like Uruguay’s to influence this is very limited,” he said.

“You can try to move the exchange rate a few pesos, as happened when it fell from 40 to 36 and then rose to 38, but there are no real chances of a strong peso depreciation, which is what exporters are seeking,” he said.

“From the United States, there is a positive view of a weaker dollar as part of its economic strategy. That makes it very difficult to think of a reversal,” he added.

The main tool applied in Uruguay has been the interest rate cut.

“The idea is to reduce incentives to place money and push those pesos into the market, which could generate a slight depreciation of the exchange rate,” Oleggini said. “It is the strongest tool being used and the one that may have some effect, although always limited.”

The gap with exporters’ demands remains wide.

“Many talk about a dollar at 50 pesos, and today we are at 36 or 38. Even bringing it to 40 would already be a challenge,” he said. “Reaching that level in an economy like Uruguay’s, with a weak dollar globally, is today almost a utopia.”

Caracas, January 29, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the Trump administration’s January 3 attack on Venezuela and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro during a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

“[Having Maduro in power] was an enormous strategic risk for the United States,“ Rubio said in his testimony to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. “It was an untenable situation, and it had to be addressed.”

The Trump official claimed that the military operation aimed to “aid law enforcement” and did not constitute an act of war. He likewise emphasized the White House’s concern about Venezuela allegedly being a “base of operations” for US geopolitical rivals Iran, Russia, and China.

Rubio faced criticism from multiple senators, with Rand Paul arguing that the White House would consider a similar attack directed against the US as an act of war. Despite widespread criticism from Democrats and a handful of Republicans, efforts to pass War Powers resolutions have been narrowly defeated in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to charges including drug trafficking conspiracy in a New York federal court on January 5. US officials have never presented evidence tying high-ranking Venezuelan leaders to narcotics activities, and specialized agencies have consistently found the Caribbean nation to play a marginal role in global drug trafficking.

The Venezuelan government, led by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, has repeatedly denounced the US attack and demanded the release of Maduro and Flores. At the same time, Rodríguez and other officials have advocated for renewed diplomatic engagement to settle “differences” with Washington.

The January 3 strikes, which killed 100 people, have drawn widespread condemnation in Latin America and beyond. A recent Progressive International summit in Colombia called for a joint regional response against US aggression.

During Wednesday’s hearing, Rubio reiterated the US government’s plans to control the Venezuelan oil sector and impose conditions on the acting Rodríguez administration. He added that the White House is seeking stability in the South American country ahead of a “democratic transition.”

Rubio additionally confirmed that Washington is administering Venezuelan oil sales, with proceeds deposited in US-controlled bank accounts in Qatar before a portion is rerouted to Caracas. He added that at some point the funds will run through Treasury Department accounts in the United States.

Democratic senators questioned the legality and transparency of the present arrangement. The Secretary of State further claimed that Caracas would need to submit a “budget request” before accessing its funds.

The initial deal reportedly comprised some 50 million barrels of oil, worth around $2 billion, that had accumulated due to a US naval blockade of Venezuelan exports. After a reported $300 million were turned over to Venezuelan private banks last week, the Venezuelan Central Bank announced that a further $200 million will be made available in early February.

Venezuelan banks are offering the foreign currency in auction to customers, with officials vowing  priority for imports in the food and healthcare sectors. 

According to Reuters, the US Treasury Department is preparing a general license to allow select corporations to engage in oil dealings with Caracas. Since 2017, the Venezuelan oil industry has been under wide-reaching unilateral coercive measures, including financial sanctions, an export embargo, and secondary sanctions.

In his address, Rubio went on to state that Venezuelan authorities “deserve credit for eradicating Chávez-era restrictions on private investment” in the oil industry, in reference to a recent overhaul of the country’s 2001 Hydrocarbons preliminarily approved last week. He added that a portion of oil revenues will be used for imports from US manufacturers.

On Tuesday, Acting President Rodríguez announced during a televised broadcast that Venezuela was importing medical equipment from the US using “unblocked funds.” 

The Venezuelan leader emphasized the importance of relations based on mutual respect with the US and rejected claims that her government is subject to dictates from foreign actors. She affirmed that there are open “communication channels” with the Trump administration and collaboration with Rubio on a “working agenda.”

The acting authorities in Caracas have sought to promote a significant rebound of crude production by offering expanded benefits to private investors as part of the reform bill. Expected to be finally approved in the coming weeks, the new law abrogates provisions introduced under former President Hugo Chávez to ensure majority state control over the oil sector in favor of flexible arrangements granting substantial autonomy to corporate partners.

Airports use technology for passenger flow, baggage tracking and predictive maintenance to enhance efficiency and experience.

As global air passenger traffic is forecast to hit 10.2 billion in 2026, a 3.9 percent year-on-year increase, investments have been pouring in to improve airport infrastructure and operational efficiency and use artificial intelligence to achieve it.

Working with data released by Airport Council International, airports are relying on the increasing use of AI to embrace the rise in demand.

AI is now being embedded in airports’ workflows to reshape everything from passenger flow management to airside maintenance, cybersecurity, lost luggage and enhancing on-site and virtual customer experiences, according to analysts and experts at the Airport AI Exchange event this month during discussions of the technology’s existing use and its potential.  

The use of AI-powered analytics to anticipate congestion at security, immigration and boarding points is also helping to prevent delays. Resources are being allocated to shift from reactive crowd management to predictive operations.

AI-powered baggage optimisation tools and biometric processing – which would allow passengers to walk through immigration without the need to present a physical passport – are also gaining traction as airports seek to improve passenger experience while maintaining operational efficiency.

“AI started changing very rapidly in 2017 and initiated this entire AI race and enabled us to really use AI, the neural network that we talked about and heard about since the 1940s,” Amad Malik, chief AI officer at Airport AI Exchange, said.

“Since then, the progressions have been very, very steep. If you look at the curve from the first day to now, AI is able to do so much more. In only the last two years, the ability has grown exponentially.”

What are airports using AI for?

In addition to quicker immigration controls, analysts said AI is aiding automated check-ins and boardings, baggage handling and tracking, and predictive maintenance. It is also enhancing passenger experience, providing security screening, and offering personalised services and assistance, they said.

AI-powered analytics can enable airports to tailor services and experiences to individual passenger preferences, fostering a more personalised and efficient journey from check-in to boarding, according to Mahmood AlSeddiqi, former vice president of IT for the Bahrain Airport Company.

While insights shared at the Airport AI Exchange suggested AI has advanced at an exponential pace over the past few years, some argue that aviation’s adoption of the technology has remained comparatively limited.

“AI has progressed exponentially over the past few years, but compared to that curve, aviation’s use of AI is still negligible,” said Malik, adding that that gap is partly explained by the sector’s reliance on legacy systems and its inherently cautious operating model.

Much of the technology still underpinning aviation operations dates back decades and innovation is often slowed by the industry’s safety-critical nature, he said.

“When you’re dealing with people’s lives, safety and regulation outweigh speed of innovation,” Malik noted.

The remains of the final Israeli captive have been returned from Gaza. For months, the Israeli government has cited the remaining bodies of captives as a reason for limiting crossings, delaying aid deliveries and slowing the implementation of the agreed ceasefire. With this justification now gone, what will change for Palestinians in Gaza?

In this episode: 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Sarí el-Khalili and Melanie Marich, with Tamara Khandaker, Tuleen Barakat, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Alexandra Locke. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhemm. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. 

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Aaron Jones was one of the key US performers at the 2024 T20 World Cup but will now miss the 2026 edition.

United States batter Aaron Jones ‍has ‍been provisionally suspended after being charged with five breaches of the International Cricket Council (ICC) ⁠anticorruption code, the governing body says.

The 31-year-old has ‍14 days to respond to the charges, which relate mostly to his ‍participation in ⁠the 2023-2024 Bim10 tournament in Barbados, while two of the charges relate to international cricket, the ICC said.

USA Cricket did not immediately ​respond to a request ‌for comment outside normal business hours.

The ICC accused Jones of fixing, trying to fix or influencing Bim10 matches; refusing or failing to cooperate with an investigation; obstructing the inquiry; and failing to disclose attempts to violate the Cricket West Indies anticorruption code.

“These charges are part of a wider investigation which is likely to result in further charges being issued against other participants in due course,” the ICC said in a statement on Wednesday.

Jones was part of an 18-member US squad training ‌in Sri Lanka in preparation for ‌the T20 World Cup, ⁠scheduled from February 7 to March 8 in India and Sri Lanka.

The US ‌has yet to announce its squad for the tournament, and Jones is now ‍ineligible for selection.

Jones was a star of the 2024 edition, which was cohosted by the US, which were also debuting at a major cricket tournament.

He was an integral part of the team that beat Pakistan in what is regarded as the greatest cricketing upset of all time, scoring 11 runs in the super-over victory.

Jones also hit an unbeaten 94 in the seven-wicket win against Canada, which included hitting the winning runs to produce one of the iconic images of the tournament.

Born in New York, Jones rose to prominence with Barbados – and hit a half-century in his first-class debut in 2017 – but switched to the nation of his birth, making his international debut in 2018.

French lawyers for suspected ISIL members transferred from Syria say the men are suffering inhumane treatment in Iraqi jails.

Lawyers for a group of French nationals accused of being part of ISIL (ISIS) and transferred by the United States from Syria to prisons in Iraq say the inmates have been subjected to “torture and inhumane treatment” there.

French media reported on Wednesday that lawyers Marie Dose and Matthieu Bagard visited the accused men in Baghdad during a recent visit and said their clients had been subjected to ill-treatment in detention in Iraq.

The abuse – including being slapped, strangled, handcuffed behind their backs “with a pulley system” and threatened with rape with iron bars – was inflicted to “make them confess to their presence in Iraq” during their alleged time in ISIL, which would give the Iraqi justice system jurisdiction to try them for their alleged crimes, the lawyers said.

The lawyers were quoted as saying the accused ISIL members “assured us that they had not been in Iraq before their arrest in Syria and their transfer to Baghdad”.

Deaths in Syrian custody

During their two-day visit, which began on Sunday, the lawyers, acting on behalf of the families of the prisoners, said they met 13 of the 47 French nationals alleged to be ISIL members who are being held in Iraq.

The 13 men said they were arrested from 2017 to March 23, 2019, the day ISIL lost control of Baghouz, Syria, ending its final hold on territory.

They said they were imprisoned in a jail in northeastern Syria under challenging conditions, in which four French inmates died due to illness and “severe deficiencies”, and they were interrogated on numerous occasions by the FBI, CIA and other agencies believed to represent France and the European Union.

US military transfers

The lawyers made the comments amid the transfer of large numbers of ISIL detainees from prisons and detention camps in Syria to Iraq on US military flights.

The wave of transfers was being carried out after a recent advance by Syrian government forces in the northeast against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which the US trained and supported to fight ISIL. The SDF has controlled camps and prisons holding suspected ISIL members for years.

The escape of ISIL detainees during the fighting in cities like al-Shaddadi sparked concerns that they could regroup and pose a renewed security threat, prompting an arrangement for the US military to run flights transferring the prisoners to Iraqi jails.

The Associated Press news agency reported on Sunday that 275 prisoners had been transferred so far while the Anadolu Agency reported that thousands were planned to be transferred under the agreement.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Sunday said the transfer of the ISIL detainees was “temporary” and urged countries to repatriate their nationals.

In a separate statement on Sunday, Iraq’s highest judicial body said it would prosecute the transferred detainees after a meeting of top security and political officials.

White House “Border Czar” Tom Homan said federal immigration agents will conduct “targeted” rather than sweeping operations in Minnesota going forward. Homan is replacing controversial “commander at large” Gregory Bovino as head of operations in the state.

The US has intensified threats against Iran if it doesn’t agree to its demands, as Trump says a ‘massive armada’ is amassing in the region. Al Jazeera’s Virginia Pietromarchi answers key questions on the latest escalation.

Published On 29 Jan 202629 Jan 2026

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Jan. 29 (UPI) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emerged from a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday to pronounce that ties between the two countries were back on track, with progress made on trade, tourism and business travel and disrupting illegal migration.

Speaking to reporters after his 80-minute meeting with Xi in the Great Hall of the People, the first by any British leader in eight years, Starmer said it was “very good, productive session with concrete outcomes” that represented a substantive advance.

“It was a real strengthening of the relationship and that’s in the national interest because, of course, there are huge opportunities here in China. A lot of the discussion was about how we open up access for those opportunities, focusing, as I always do, on how this is going to be delivered back in the United Kingdom, how does it benefit people back at home,” he said.

Starmer said headway had been made on Scottish whisky tariffs, visa-free travel to China for Britons and a border security deal on deporting illegal immigrants from Britain, tackling Chinese gangs producing synthetic opioids, and cutting off the flow of Chinese-made marine engines used by people smugglers moving migrants across the English Channel in small boats.

Starmer’s meeting with Xi ran for more than double the period of time scheduled for the talks.

Downing Street later confirmed British citizens would be permitted visits for tourism or business purposes of up to 30 days without a visa.

On issues where they did not see eye to eye, the two sides agreed to “maintain frank and open dialogue,” according to the readout from No. 10.

Starmer insisted he raised human rights at the meeting, including the treatment of the Uyghur minority in China and media mogul and democracy activist Jimmy Lai, a British citizen who has been in prison in Hong Kong since 2020 on sedition and other charges.

He said they had a “respectful discussion” and that his Chinese hosts had listened, with Starmer pointing out that the opportunity to raise “issues we disagree on” was part of the rationale for engagement.

Praising the contributions of past Labour governments to building Sino-British ties, Xi said that China stood ready to move beyond the “twist and turns” to develop a “long-term relationship” with Britain and “consistent, comprehensive, strategic partnership” that would benefit both peoples and the wider world.

However, no major deal or breakthrough came out of the meeting with the only agreement thus far a $20.7 billion investment in China through 2030 by U.K. pharma-giant AstraZeneca to expand its Chinese operation, particularly its work on anti-cancer cell therapy.

The Conservatives’ shadow national security minister, Alicia Kearns, who had urged Starmer to make the release of Lai and the lifting of sanctions on British MPs a condition of his visit, doubled down on her criticism.

“Keir Starmer’s visit tells the Chinese Communist Party they can carry on just as they are,” she wrote on X.

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

Top official vows shift in operations after killings of US citizens, but says Trump not ‘surrendering’ mission.

Tom Homan, United State President Donald Trump’s Border Czar, has vowed a shift in immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, but maintained that Trump was not “surrendering” his mission.

Speaking during a news conference from the Midwestern state, where he was sent in the wake of two killings of US citizens by immigration enforcement officers this month, Homan vowed a lasting presence and more refined enforcement operations.

Still, he largely placed the blame of recent escalations on the administration offormer US President Joe Biden and the policies of local officials, saying that more cooperation would lead to less outrage.

“I’m staying until the problem’s gone,” Homan told reporters on Thursday, adding the Trump administration had promised and will continue to target individuals that constitute “public safety threats and national security threats”.

“We will conduct targeted enforcement operations. Targeted what we’ve done for decades,” Homan said. “When we hit the streets, we know exactly who we’re looking for.”

While Homan portrayed the approach as business as usual, immigration observers have said the administration has increasingly used dragnet strategies in an effort to meet sky-high detention quotas.

State and local law enforcement officials last week even detailed many of their off-duty officers had been randomly stopped and asked for their papers. They noted that all those stopped were people of colour.

On the campaign trail, Trump had vowed to target only “criminals”, but shortly after taking office, White House spokesperson said it considered anyone in the country without documentation to have committed a crime.

Homan vowed to continue meeting with local and state officials, hailing early “progress” even as differences remain. He highlighted a meeting with the State Attorney General Keith Ellison in which he “clarified for me that county jails may notify ICE of the release dates of criminal public safety risk so ICE can take custody”.

It remained unclear if the announcement represented a policy change. Minnesota has no explicit state laws preventing authorities from cooperating with ICE and the states prisons have a long track-record of coordinating with immigration officials on individuals convicted of crimes.

County jails typically coordinate based on their own discretion.

Homan was sent by Trump to replace Greg Bovino, the top border patrol official sent to the state as part of a massive enforcement operation that has sparked widespread protests.

On January 7, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. Last week, border patrol agents fatally shot Alex Pretti.

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Lakers teammates and coaches clapped. LeBron James stared stoically at the video board. Instead of acknowledging the Cleveland crowd showering the Lakers star with applause after a video tribute on Monday, James lifted his jersey over his face.

He wiped his eyes.

Recognizing that the end of his illustrious basketball career is closing in soon, returning to where it all started stirred up emotions in James that surprised even him. He scanned the arena before the game to look for his mother in a suite. He glanced up at the championship banner he helped win in 2016. Then he had one of his worst games as an opponent against the Cavaliers, finishing with just 11 points, five assists and six turnovers in the Lakers’ 129-99 blowout loss.

It was the team’s worst loss of the year.

The Cavaliers (29-26) played a video tribute for James in the first quarter, focusing on the highlights of him scoring 25 consecutive points in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals. James said he remembered it “like it was yesterday.” The video finished with the message “Welcome Home.” James clutched the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the final image.

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Lakers box score

NBA standings

Cleveland court is a known hazard

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Luka Doncic grabbed at his left leg. He immediately thought of Dru Smith. The Miami Heat guard’s knee injury suffered in 2023 when he slipped off the side of the Cleveland Cavaliers court haunted Doncic while he winced in pain near the Lakers bench.

The Lakers superstar avoided serious injury after falling off the side of the Cavaliers’ raised court on Monday, but the threat of a player being hurt by Cleveland’s unique 10-inch drop off between the court and the arena floor came into focus again during the Lakers’ 129-99 loss to the Cavaliers.

“It is absolutely a safety hazard,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after Doncic was able to return later in the first quarter. “And I don’t know why it’s still like that. I don’t. You know, you can lodge formal complaints. A lot of times you don’t see any change when you lodge a formal complaint.”

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UCLA women win 14th in a row

Lauren Betts overcame early foul trouble to score 23 points and pull down nine rebounds, leading No. 2 UCLA to an 80-67 win Wednesday night over Illinois.

Betts, the Bruins’ 6-foot-7 AP All-American center, picked up her second and third fouls — the latter on a technical foul — with 1:29 left in the first quarter.

She sat out the rest of the first quarter and the second quarter, returned to the court after halftime, and ended up playing nearly 24 minutes. She had just six points at halftime.

Angela Dugalic scored 12 points for UCLA (20-1, 10-0 Big Ten), which won its 14th straight. Gabriela Jaquez had 11, and Kiki Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Sienna Betts — Lauren’s sister — each added 10.

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UCLA box score

Big Ten standings

UCLA men rout Ducks

Tyler Bilodeau had 18 points, Eric Daily Jr. had his second double-double this season, and UCLA beat shorthanded Oregon 73-57 on Wednesday night to extend the Ducks’ losing streak to seven games.

Dailey finished with 14 points and a career-high tying 11 rebounds. Donovan Dent scored 11 of his 15 in the second half for UCLA (15-6, 7-3 Big Ten) and Trent Perry, who was scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting before halftime, added 12 points.

The Bruins have won three in a row and five of their last six.

Kwame Evans Jr. led Oregon (8-13, 1-9) with 24 points, which included four three-pointers, and nine rebounds. Nate Bittle, Jackson Shelstad and Takai Simpkins — who are first (16.3 per game), second (15.6) and fourth (12.4), respectively, on the team in scoring this season — did not play for the Ducks due to injuries.

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UCLA box score

Big Ten standings

USC men lose close one to Iowa

Bennett Stirtz scored 20 points, including two free throws with 4.6 seconds remaining, as Iowa survived USC‘s comeback bid to win 73-72 on Wednesday night.

The Hawkeyes (15-5, 5-4 Big Ten) led by as many as 17 points in the second half, but a rally by USC put the Trojans ahead by one point with eight seconds to go. Stirtz was fouled by USC’s Jerry Easter II, and made both free throws to put Iowa back ahead.

A 20-4 run early in the second half gave the Hawkeyes a double-digit lead, but Kam Woods single-handedly got the Trojans (15-6, 4-6) back into the game with a solo 12-0 run. Woods scored 19 straight points for USC before Jacob Cofie made the go-ahead layup. Woods finished with 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting after playing all 40 minutes. His previous season high was eight points.

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USC box score

Big Ten standings

Bob Chesney is impressing high school coaches

From Eric Sondheimer: As far as first impressions go, new UCLA football coach Bob Chesney has been hitting the ball out of the park, according to high school coaches who have been receiving visits since Chesney started focusing on introducing himself to local coaches when the college transfer portal closed on Jan. 16.

“He’s a high-energy guy who has a clear vision,” St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro said. “He’s going to bring some excitement back. I was highly impressed. If he’s going to execute what his plan is, he’s going to have immediate success.”

There are so many Chesney sightings at high schools around Southern California, you have to wonder if he’s also scouting for a new house, but that’s probably left to his wife. On his visit to St. John Bosco, his driver was former St. John Bosco assistant Marshawn Friloux, a holdover in the Bruins’ recruiting department from the previous staff.

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Will Gary Patterson ride to the rescue?

From Ryan Kartje: When Gary Patterson resigned as coach of Texas Christian in October 2021, midway through his 21st season with the Horned Frogs, the now-65-year old coach decided to take a step back and reevaluate where he and the college game were headed.

“I’d had a job since I was 9 years old,” Patterson said. “Just kind of wanted to take a break.”

For decades, football had been at the forefront of his and his family’s life, so much so that his wife joked she was merely his “mistress.” He wanted to spend time with her, with his grandkids. Plus, after a few seasons, he knew he’d be eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame, which was important to him.

Patterson ended up filling that time with football, anyway, biding his time for the right opportunity to come along.

It came earlier this month, four years after his departure from Fort Worth, in the form of a text message from USC coach Lincoln Riley, whom he knew from their days coaching across from each other in the Big 12. The Trojans’ defensive coordinator, D’Anton Lynn, had left in late December for the same job at Penn State. Riley needed a replacement.

“He wasn’t going to jump back into this for anything,” Riley said Wednesday. “It had to be the right opportunity, the right kind of place, the right kind of setting. I know he knows and believe he’s found that.”

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Sydney Barros steps up for UCLA gymnastics

From Anthony Solorzano: UCLA gymnast Sydney Barros was not prepared to be a part of the rotation during their meet against Michigan State on Sunday. Leading up to the meet, she was ready to watch from the sidelines as she was recovering from a minor ankle injury.

During the previous competition against Nebraska on Jan. 17, when the Bruins came out with a win, Barros’ only action came with performances on the uneven bars and floor exercise.

Due to illnesses to some of her teammates, it was her turn to compete.

“When I realized I might have to step up this weekend, I had to mentally put myself in that position really quickly,” Barros said. “… I made sure I was in the best mental space possible and just trusted my training that I did have.”

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Bill Belichick is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer

From Chuck Schilken: Bill Belichick is one of the most successful coaches in NFL history.

He won’t be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

ESPN broke the news Tuesday that Belichick won’t be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Multiple media outlets have since confirmed the report. The Hall of Fame has declined to comment on its class of 2026 before it is announced Feb. 5 at NFL Honors in San Francisco.

Belichick won six Super Bowls and nine AFC championships as head coach of the New England Patriots from 2000-2023. He’s a three-time coach of the year. He has more postseason wins (31) than any other NFL head coach and his 333 wins in the regular season and playoffs — counting his five seasons as the Cleveland Browns’ head coach from 1991-1995 — are the second most to Don Shula’s 347. He also won two Super Bowls as the New York Giants defensive coordinator.

“I don’t understand it. I mean, I was with him every day,” former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who played 20 seasons under Belichick, told Seattle Sports 710-AM on Wednesday. “If he’s not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, there’s really no coach that should ever be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is completely ridiculous because people deserve it.”

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Super Bowl Sunday

Sunday, Feb. 8
at Santa Clara
Seattle vs. New England
3:30 p.m. PT, NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, KLAC AM 570
Halftime show: Bad Bunny
National anthem: Charlie Puth
Odds: Seahawks favored by 4.5 points
Over/Under: 45.5 points

This day in sports history

1950 — In an Associated Press poll of sports writers and broadcasters, Jack Dempsey is voted the greatest fighter of the last 50 years. Dempsey received 251 votes to 104 for Joe Louis.

1958 — The St. Louis Cardinals give Stan Musial a contract for $100,000, making him the highest paid player in the National League.

1963 — Eleven players and six officials are elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, Bronco Nagurski, Sammy Baugh, Dutch Clark, Johnny McNally, Ernie Nevers, Mel Hein, Pete Henry, Cal Hubbard and Don Hutson are the players. The six officials are Bert Bell, Joe Carr, George Halas, Curly Lambeau, Tim Mara and George Preston.

1971 — Hal Greer of Philadelphia becomes the sixth player in NBA history to score 20,000 points as the 76ers lose to Milwaukee 142-118.

1985 — Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders scores his 1,000th point with a goal in a 4-4 tie with the Minnesota North Stars.

1994 — Julio Cesar Chavez suffers his first loss in 91 fights when Frankie Randall knocks him down in the 11th round and wins the WBC super lightweight championship on a split decision.

1997 — Brian Himmler rolls two perfect games to take the lead after the first two rounds of qualifying at the PBA’s Columbia 300 Open.

2000 — Utah’s Karl Malone becomes the third player in NBA history to score 30,000 points when he makes a layup with 8:53 left in the third quarter of a 96-94 loss to Minnesota.

2005 — Serena Williams fends off six break points in the fifth game of the second set, then wills herself to overcome an aching back in a 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory over Lindsay Davenport in the Australian Open final.

2005 — Irina Slutskaya joins the elite company of Katarina Witt and Sonja Henie by winning a sixth title at the European Figure Skating Championships.

2006 — Roger Federer wins his seventh Grand Slam title, overcoming an early challenge from unseeded Marcos Baghdatis to win the Australian Open 5-7, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2.

2010 — Bernard Lagat wins his eighth Wanamaker Mile at 103rd Millrose Games in New York. Lagat, who finishes in 3:56.34, had shared the record with Irish great Eamonn Coghlan.

2012 — Lydia Ko becomes the youngest person ever to win a pro golf tour event by winning the Bing Lee/Samsung Women’s NSW Open on the ALPG Tour. She is 14 and 8 months, one year younger than the previous youngest person ever to win a professional golf tour event, Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa.

2012 — Novak Djokovic outlasts Rafael Nadal to defend his Australian Open title in the longest ever Grand Slam final and becomes the fifth man to win three straight majors in the Open Era. Djokovic completes a 5-hour, 53-minute 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 victory over Nadal at 1:37 a.m.

2014 — Ben Scrivens sets an NHL record for saves in a regular-season shutout with 59 in a spectacular performance that help the Edmonton Oilers beat the San Jose Sharks 3-0.

2017 — Roger Federer wins his 18th major title by beating Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to capture the Australian Open.

2018 — Australian Open Men’s Tennis: Roger Federer beats Marin Čilic 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to win his record 20th Grand Slam title.

2018 — Cleveland Indians announce they will remove “Chief Wahoo” caricature logo from uniforms in 2019.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Bangladesh cricket lost their place at T20 World Cup after refusal to play in India, but shooting team heads to New Delhi.

Bangladesh ‌has approved its shooting team’s tour to New Delhi for ‍next month’s Asian ‍Shooting Championships, days after the cricket team’s refusal to play in India due to safety concerns cost them a place at the Twenty20 World Cup.

Bangladesh have been replaced by Scotland in ⁠the T20 World Cup, which runs from February 7 to March 8, ​after they insisted they would not tour India, highlighting security ‍concerns following soured political relations between the neighbours.

The International Cricket Council (ICC), citing independent security assessment reports, dismissed Bangladesh’s demands to play their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka, the tournament ‍cohosts, ⁠instead, arguing the late change in schedule was “not feasible”.

However, media reports in Bangladesh said a three-member contingent comprising shooter Robiul Islam, his coach Sharmin Akhter and jury member Saima Feroze had received approval from the Ministry of Youth and Sports to compete in New Delhi.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) secretary-general, Pawan Singh, confirmed the shooting team’s participation in India.

“Bangladesh’s participation was confirmed a month ‌ago. Our applications for clearances for all nations have been in process for almost three months,” Singh told the Reuters news agency.

“We have to follow ISSF norms as a ‌sport and comply with the IOC (International Olympic Committee) charter, and as NRAI, we have always received support ‌from the government,” he said, referring to the International Shooting Sport Federation.

Singh added that the Bangladesh contingent ⁠did not request any extra security measures.

“The Bangladesh team has come to our tournaments many times, so they know our strict protocols well. Maybe that’s why they are confident and ‌have not made any special requests.”

The Asian Shooting Confederation, which is organising the event, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The continental ‍rifle and pistol shooting championship will be held in New Delhi from February 2 to 14.

As U.S. President Donald Trump is again touting a “massive armada” of ships heading to the Middle East amid growing tensions with Iran, more assets continue to pour into the region, including an electronic intelligence collection plane, which would be critical to addressing a range on contingencies, and another destroyer. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before the Senate that U.S. forces are needed in case of a potential attack from Iran and that the administration does not know what will happen next if the government of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei falls.

You can catch up with our most recent coverage of events in the Middle East here.

“A massive Armada is heading to Iran,” Trump stated Wednesday morning in a post on his Truth Social platform, referring to the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG). “It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela. Like with Venezuela, it is ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.”

It remains unclear what Trump meant by a larger fleet. A Navy spokesman confirmed to us Wednesday morning that the Lincoln and three Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer escorts are now in the CENTCOM region. That’s the same number of ships the Gerald R. Ford CSG deployed with to the Caribbean ahead of the Maduro capture.

All told, the Navy now has 10 warships in the CENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR). The Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black just joined that force, a Navy official told us.

A destroyer would provide picket defense against missiles and drones, as well as standoff call strike capabilities. This is something especially important in that part of the Middle East right now since the Houthi rebels of Yemen have threatened to attack U.S. and Israeli targets should Iran come under fire.

By comparison, there are 12 warships in the Caribbean, the official explained. That force, along with a number of destroyers and carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, includes the Iwo Jima Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG)/22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) made up of three amphibious assault vessels, and a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser. In addition, the Ocean Trader, a special operations mothership, was also plying those waters. It’s also worth noting that CSGs deploy with at least one fast attack submarine that isn’t usually disclosed.

When we asked for more details about Trump’s claim, the White House referred us to the Truth Social post, and CENTCOM referred us to the White House.

While the Navy’s deployments are getting a lot of attention, a U.S. Air Force RC-135V Rivet Joint electronic surveillance plane has flown to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, according to online flight trackers. The aircraft, callsign Olive48, arrived at Al Udeid on Wednesday morning Eastern time, according to FlightRadar24.

The U.S. Air Force RC-135V Rivet Joint is now landing at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

I expect both the E-11A BACN and HC-130J Combat King II to leave Chania for Al Udeid later today.

We may also see 6xEA-18G Growlers leave the U.S. for Europe very soon. pic.twitter.com/8oNrEomeXV

— Oliver Alexander (@OAlexanderDK) January 28, 2026

The Rivet Joint departed from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska and stopped at RAF Mildenhall before arriving at Al Udeid.

The RC-135 is one of America’s most capable intelligence-gathering assets. Each airliner-sized jet contains a large array of signals intelligence (SIGINT) systems that detect and intercept communications and other electronic emissions. The aircraft can also geolocate and categorize the emitters sending out those signals, from radios to radars. The RC-135s are often used to build a electronic order of battle of an adversary nation, locating their air defenses and command and control nodes, as well as intercepting communications as to how they respond to various stimuli or just during mundane operations. This information is critical to building an effective war plan and it needs to be updated just prior to launching an operation. It is also very important for defensive monitoring and understanding an enemy’s intentions and the status of its military at any given time.

Rivet Joint deployments happen around the globe regularly, including to the Middle East. In November, a U.S. official confirmed to us that one of these jets had been deployed to the U.S. Southern Command region “testing Venezuelan sensors and responses, and it is part of the pressure campaign to show U.S. capabilities in the Caribbean.” This matched our prior analysis as to their presence there. The information gathered would have played a key role in the effective capture of Maduro.

We’ve reached out to CENTCOM and the 55th Wing at Offutt, which operates the Rivet Joints, for comment.

There are also indications that other unique airborne capabilities may be headed to the Middle East.

Flight trackers are showing that an E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) jet is heading to Souda Air Base in Crete, a common route for deployments to the Middle East. While we have no confirmation of where this jet might go next, a move to the Middle East ahead of a potential conflict makes sense. E-11As are highly specialized communications gateway nodes designed to create an ‘active net’ over the battlespace and quickly transfer data sent using a variety of distinct waveforms between different aerial platforms and forces on the ground/surface. With these capabilities, the aircraft can also serve as valuable communications relay nodes. You can find out more about BACN and its history in this past War Zone feature. It’s also worth mentioning the BACNs spent many years exclusively deployed to the Middle East during the Global War on Terror.

🇺🇸 Strategic Signal

A U.S. Air Force E 11A BACN aircraft, callsign BLKWF01, was tracked over the western Mediterranean after crossing the Atlantic, reportedly heading toward Souda Air Base in Crete.

The E 11A serves as a high altitude communications relay, linking aircraft,… pic.twitter.com/oqdWHxMexY

— Defense Intelligence (@DI313_) January 28, 2026

In addition, it appears six U.S. Navy E/A-18G Growlers electronic warfare jets have departed from their assignment to the Caribbean and are headed east across the Atlantic, potentially for deployment to the Middle East. Again we have no confirmation of why the jets are making this flight.

The EA-18Gs in the Middle East would be critical force multipliers. Such a deployment could be indicative of what one would see in the lead-up to a kinetic operation centered heavily on strikes on targets in inland areas, such as ones the U.S. and possibly Israel might carry out in Iran in the future. Growlers can provide electronic warfare support for standoff munitions and/or aircraft penetrating into enemy air defenses, among other battlefield effects.

#USAF United States Air Force – Middle East Activity (CORONET)
27 January 2026 – 2000z

Second update for the day. The main focus being CORONET East 037 involving E/A-18G’s, as well as HC-130’s and additional C-17 flights.

Note: All the information in these posts is obtained via… https://t.co/guILy0ElOX pic.twitter.com/5lg5zJvGeA

— Armchair Admiral 🇬🇧 (@ArmchairAdml) January 27, 2026

There are also signs that HC-130J Combat King II combat search and rescue (CSAR) planes are moving toward the Middle East, another indication that Trump could be considering airstrikes inside Iran. The aircraft would be needed for rapid rescues of any aircrews that are lost during military operations, specifically over contested territory. They can also support special operations aircraft with aerial refueling for non personnel recovery missions.

#USAF United States Air Force – Middle East Activity (CORONET)
27 January 2026 – 2000z

Second update for the day. The main focus being CORONET East 037 involving E/A-18G’s, as well as HC-130’s and additional C-17 flights.

Note: All the information in these posts is obtained via… https://t.co/guILy0ElOX pic.twitter.com/5lg5zJvGeA

— Armchair Admiral 🇬🇧 (@ArmchairAdml) January 27, 2026

As we have previously reported, at least a dozen additional F-15E Strike Eagle fighters were recently deployed to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Aerial refueling tankers have also trickled into the Middle East. Other tactical jets remain in the region, including A-10s. But despite the potential presence of the Growlers and the movements of the F-15Es, there has still been no mass influx of USAF tactical airpower into the Middle East. This is something we would likely see if the U.S. intends to execute a sustained campaign, even if limited in scope, against Iran. This points to a more limited operation, unless Israel steps in to provide its tactical fighter force in a joint operation. It’s also very possible that these assets will deploy in the coming days.

In addition, online flight tracking indicates the movement of new air and missile defense systems to the Middle East as well. As we predicted, the U.S. is sending additional Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems to the Middle East for increased protection from any Iranian attack, The Wall Street Journal reported.

#USAF United States Air Force – Middle East Activity
26 January 2026 – 1045z

Traffic is primarily focused on bases housing air defence systems like THAAD from Fort Hood. As the weather conditions don’t appear to have improved, the level of traffic is still fairly low. I’ve… https://t.co/INuCDdgv5s pic.twitter.com/PQ9fchMiMf

— Armchair Admiral 🇬🇧 (@ArmchairAdml) January 26, 2026

Amid the U.S. buildup, Rubio offered some insights about why this is happening.

“On the issue of our presence in the region, here’s the baseline I want to set for everybody,” Rubio said during his testimony to the Senate in a hearing on the situation in Venezuela. “The baseline is this: we have 30,000 to 40,000 American troops stationed across eight or nine facilities in that region. All are within the reach…of an array of thousands of Iranian one-way UAVs and Iranian short-range ballistic missiles that threaten our troop presence.”

“We have to have enough force and power in the region just on a baseline to defend against the possibility that at some point, as a result of something, the Iranian regime decides to strike at our troop presence in the region,” he added. “The president always reserves the preemptive defensive option. In essence, if we have indications that, in fact, they’re going to attack our troops in the region, to defend our personnel in the region.”

In addition, Rubio noted that “we also have security agreements, the defense of Israel plan, and others that require a force posture in the region to defend against that. And so I think it’s wise and prudent to have a force posture within the region that could respond and potentially, not necessarily what’s going to happen, but if necessary, preemptively, prevent the attack against thousands of American servicemen and other facilities in the region and our allies.”

Rubio says US forces are amassing in the region to potentially “preemptively prevent” Iran from attacking US forces already in the region. Pristine logic. Especially after Trump just announced he’s sending a “Massive Armada,” and threatened a “far worse” attack than last June pic.twitter.com/dbHMXuUhC9

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) January 28, 2026

The U.S. Secretary of State also noted that at least thousands of protesters have been killed by government forces during the unrest that began in Iran on Dec. 28. The uprising occurred due to rising prices and devalued currency that saw the rial crater now to basically nothing, as well as a devastating drought, and ongoing harsh treatment from the regime.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “thousands” have died in the Iran protests “for certain,” but couldn’t confirm the numbers.

“The protests may have ebbed, but they will spark up again in the future because this regime, unless they are willing to change and or leave, have no… pic.twitter.com/Tq7RIPm8WA

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 28, 2026

While Trump has previously stated that Iran needs new leadership, Rubio testified that what happens should Khamenei fall is unknown.

“That’s an open question,” Rubio responded to a question about who would lead Iran next. “No one knows what would take over. Obviously, their system is divided between the supreme leader and the IRGC that responds directly to him. And then you’ve got these quasi-elected individuals, the ones that wear the suits on television, who are part of their political branches, but ultimately have to run everything they do by the Supreme Leader. So I don’t think anyone can give you a simple answer as to what happens next in Iran if the Supreme Leader and the regime were to fall.”

In his Trump Social post on Wednesday, the president issued one of his most serious threats against Iran to date. The American leader, who began his recent round of warnings to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the wake of the regime’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters, is also pressuring Iran to end its nuclear weapons program.

“Hopefully Iran will quickly “Come to the Table” and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties,” Trump proclaimed. “Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was “Operation Midnight Hammer,” a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again…”

Trump was referring to the attack last June on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The American president gave no specifics about the deal he was demanding, “but U.S. and European officials say that in talks, they have put three demands in front of the Iranians: a permanent end to all enrichment of uranium, limits on the range and number of their ballistic missiles, and an end to all support for proxy groups in the Middle East, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis operating in Yemen,” The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

“Notably absent from those demands — and from Mr. Trump’s post on Truth Social on Wednesday morning — was any reference to protecting the protesters who took to the streets in Iran in December, convulsing the country and creating the latest crisis for its government. Mr. Trump had promised, in past social media posts, to come to their aid, but has barely mentioned them in recent weeks.”

According to U.S. and European officials involved in the ongoing negotiations who spoke to the New York Times, three demands have been given to the Iranians to prevent potential military actions by the United States, these include:

– Permanent end to all enrichment of uranium at…

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 28, 2026

Iran, for its part, said there are no direct negotiations underway.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he had not been in contact with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days or requested negotiations, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing Iranian media.

“There was no contact between me and Witkoff in recent days and no request for negotiations was made from us,” Araqchi told state media, adding that various intermediaries were “holding consultations” and “were in contact with Tehran.”

“Our stance is clear, ” he added. “Negotiations don’t go along with threats and talks can only take place when there are no longer menaces and excessive demands.”

Still, there are backchannel talks taking place, according to the official Iranian IRNA News Agency.

“Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein says Iran has announced its readiness for dialogue with the United States, but it has yet to receive any response from Washington,” according to IRNA. “Speaking with Rudaw, a Kurdish digital news network based in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, the foreign minister said late on Tuesday that messages are exchanged between Iran and the US, but no meeting has been held yet.”

“The main problem is that there is no direct communication,” Hussein said, adding that messages are exchanged without holding a meeting, which complicates the situation. “If a decision is made to hold a meeting, Iraq would be able to play a role, but the U.S. has yet to decide if it would hold discussions.”

Wary Israeli officials, who are preparing for an attack on or from Iran, are closely monitoring these unofficial talks, according to the Jerusalem Post.

“Israel is assessing reports that the United States and Iran are holding discreet contacts and that Washington has presented preconditions for possible negotiations on a new nuclear agreement,” the Post reported. “Israeli officials have expressed concern over the possibility of an agreement they view as unfavorable.”

Likely to participate in any strike against Iran, Israel was once again the target of Tehran’s wrath.

Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, threatened strikes on Israel if the U.S .attacks Iran.

“The limited strike is an illusion,” he said, according to Israel National News. “Any military action by America, from any source and at any level, will be considered the beginning of war, and the response to it will be immediate, comprehensive, and unprecedented, targeting the aggressor, the heart of Tel Aviv, and everyone who supports the aggressor.”

IRAN THREATENS ISRAEL: Khamenei adviser says US military action will trigger Iranian attack on Tel Aviv (Ynet)

— Israel Radar (@IsraelRadar_com) January 28, 2026

Should a conflict between the U.S. and Iran break out, two key regional allies have said they won’t be involved. Saudi Arabia on Tuesday said it would not allow the U.S. to use its facilities or airspace to attack Iran. That follows a similar statement made by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

🇸🇦📞🇮🇷 | HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke by phone with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian. pic.twitter.com/sjcDjoHYCv

— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) January 28, 2026

These public statements could be strictly aimed at internal audiences that might not favor involvement in an attack on another Muslim nation, especially involving Israel. They could also be to deter Iran from barraging their territory in retaliation to an attack. However, if Saudi Arabia and the UAE are serious about their reticence, it would affect U.S. basing in those countries, limiting Trump’s options to attack Iran. There are other bases in the region, like Al Udeid in Qatar, Muwaffaq Salti in Jordan, and Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, among others. Still, any reduction in facilities to store and launch aircraft makes any strike more challenging and potentially increases the risk to host countries from Iranian missiles and drones. Taking airspace over Saudi Arabia and the UAE out of the picture also reduces the vectors from which the U.S. can launch attacks from the Gulf region, limiting them to a narrower set of funnels. This is also why the carrier strike group is so important.

Meanwhile, NATO ally Turkey urged Trump not to attack Iran.

“It’s wrong to attack on Iran, it’s wrong to start the war again. Iran is ready to negotiate on nuclear file again,” said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.”My advice to the American friends: close the files one by one with Iranians. Start with nuclear, close it, and not get it as a package. If you put them as a package, it will be very difficult for our Iranian friends to digest and to go through this. It might seem humiliating for them and difficult to explain to the leadership. If we can make things better tolerated, it would help.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan:

It’s wrong to attack on Iran, it’s wrong to start the war again. Iran is ready to negotiate on nuclear file again.

My advice to the American friends: close the files one by one with Iranians. Start with nuclear, close it, and not get it as… pic.twitter.com/TtGDV9l9uQ

— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 28, 2026

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, on the other hand, said the Iranian regime’s days are numbered.

German Chancellor Merz says Iranian regime’s “days are numbered” – “It may be weeks, but this regime has no legitimacy whatsoever to govern the country” pic.twitter.com/sK4M4us73R

— Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) January 28, 2026

Despite the Iranian regime’s crackdown, the protests appear to be ongoing. A new video emerged showing a large demonstration in Tehran, calling for the end of the regime.

BREAKING: Massive protests erupt in Tehran, over 100,000 Iranians flooding the streets, demanding the fall of the Islamic Republic. pic.twitter.com/I8Z60fNab6

— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) January 28, 2026

As the pressure mounts against Khamenei, a video emerged purporting to show an inside view of his compound, something observers say they’ve never seen before.

This is really something: this new video purportedly shows some of the security protocols leading to the Office of #Iran’s regime’s Supreme Leader. It’s an unprecedented video—never before have I seen something like this surface. A sign of the times. pic.twitter.com/PLSdYGDjw1

— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) January 28, 2026

So far, there are just harsh words being exchanged in the Middle East, not munitions. However, the warning lights are blinking hot that a conflict could soon break out, something we will continue to monitor closely.

Update: 9:46 PM Eastern –

Trump is now considering options that “include U.S. military airstrikes aimed at Iran’s leaders and the security officials believed to be responsible for the killings, as well as strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and government institutions,” CNN reported, citing sources. “Trump has not made a final decision on how to proceed, sources said, but he believes his military options have been expanded from earlier this month now that a US carrier strike group is in the region.”

“Options he is now considering include US military airstrikes aimed at Iran’s leaders and the security officials…as well as strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and government institutions.”

What “nuclear sites?” Is the US going to bomb Bushehr? https://t.co/kmkMxaXTgO

— Gregory Brew (@gbrew24) January 29, 2026

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer is on a three-day state visit to China as he seeks to deepen economic and security ties with the world’s second-largest economy after years of acrimonious relations.

This is the first trip by a UK prime minister to China since Theresa May met Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2018.

Here’s what you need to know about the trip aimed at mending ties at a time of global uncertainties:

What’s on Starmer’s agenda for China?

The UK PM met Xi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Thursday. He will next head to Shanghai to meet British and Chinese business leaders, according to his official itinerary.

After their meeting on Thursday, Starmer and Xi called for a “comprehensive strategic partnership” between the two nations.

“China-UK relations experienced setbacks in previous years, which were not in the interests of either country,” Xi said. “In the current complex and ever-changing international situation … China and the UK need to strengthen dialogue and cooperation to maintain world peace and stability.”

In his opening remarks, Starmer told Xi the two nations should “work together on issues like climate change, global stability during challenging times”.

The prime minister is accompanied by a delegation of nearly 60 representatives of businesses and cultural organisations, including banking conglomerate HSBC, pharmaceutical giant GSK, carmaker Jaguar Land Rover and the UK’s National Theatre.

Starmer told Bloomberg there will be “significant opportunities” for UK businesses in China in an interview this week in the run-up to his trip.

His trip is also expected to mark a reset in UK-China relations, which have been strained in recent years. Starmer underlined his intentions during his meeting with Xi on Thursday.

“China is a vital player on the global stage, and it’s vital that we build a more sophisticated relationship where we can identify opportunities to collaborate, but of course, also allow a meaningful dialogue on areas where we disagree,” Starmer told Xi, according to the Reuters news agency.

Why does the UK want to reset its relationship with China?

Starmer has framed his trip to China as a pragmatic move despite ongoing concerns back home about Beijing’s human rights record and potential national security threat.

“Like it or not, China matters for the UK,” Starmer said in advance of his trip to Beijing.

“As one of the world’s biggest economic players, a strategic and consistent relationship with them is firmly in our national interest. That does not mean turning a blind eye to the challenges they pose – but engaging even where we disagree,” he said.

China has rejected the allegations of human rights violations in parts of the country.

While few details have been released yet, Jing Gu, a political economist research fellow at the UK’s Institute of Development Studies, said reviving economic ties would require expanded “market access, predictable regulation and fair treatment of UK firms” alongside clear “guardrails”.

“This is not a question of being ‘pro-China’ or ‘anti-China’,” she said in a statement.

China offers a potential economic lifeline to the UK, whose economy has struggled in the decade since it embarked on its departure from the European Union in 2016.

A report by the nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in the United States estimated last year that Brexit reduced UK gross domestic product (GDP) by 6 to 8 percent, with the impact accumulating gradually over time. Investment is also down 12 to 18 percent, according to NBER estimates, and employment is down 3 to 4 percent.

The UK’s GDP is estimated to grow 1.4 percent in 2026, according to Goldman Sachs, as it faces new economic challenges from US President Donald Trump’s decisions and announcements.

The UK was not exempt from Trump’s tariff war despite its decades-long “special relationship” with the US. As a NATO member, the UK has also watched with alarm as Trump recently threatened to annex Greenland and impose up to 25 percent tariffs on any country that opposed him.

Starmer is not the only US ally looking to diversify economic ties. His trip to China follows in the footsteps of French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

What strained the UK’s relationship with China?

The UK has longstanding concerns with China’s human rights record, but its relationship with Beijing took a turn for the worse after mass antigovernment protests swept Hong Kong, a former British colony, in 2019.

The UK was alarmed by the political crackdown that followed the 2019 protests and Beijing’s decision to impose legislation in 2020 that criminalised “secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security”.

In the aftermath, the UK opened a special immigration scheme for the citizens of Hong Kong born before the city’s 1997 return to Chinese sovereignty. British officials have continued to criticise Hong Kong’s national security trials, including the prosecution of pro-democracy businessman Jimmy Lai, who is a UK citizen.

Allegations of Chinese spying in the UK and China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war have also frayed the ties.

Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute in London, told Al Jazeera that he did not expect any concessions in this area during Starmer’s visit. “Beijing will work to support Starmer to present the visit as a success, but it will not make any concession in areas that matter to China, such as human rights,” he said.

What about security concerns?

Concerns about Chinese spying have been a front-page issue in the UK over the past year, with the head of the domestic intelligence agency MI5 recently saying “Chinese state actors” pose a national security threat “every day”.

Despite these worries, Starmer’s government this month approved Beijing’s plan to open a “mega embassy” in London that critics say could become a hub for espionage in Europe.

The embassy’s approval also follows the collapse of a legal case against two British men charged with spying for China. The decision by prosecutors to withdraw charges at the eleventh hour remains highly controversial in the UK.

China has denied the spying claims, with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs calling them “unfounded” accusations.

Starmer’s trip, however, emphasised areas of potential security cooperation between China and the UK.

Following his meeting with Xi, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that law enforcement would cooperate with Chinese authorities to stem the flow of synthetic opioids into the UK and cut off the supply of small boat engines to criminal gangs.

Engine-powered boats are used to smuggle people across the English Channel, according to Starmer’s office.

The agreement will include “intelligence sharing to identify smugglers’ supply routes and direct engagement with Chinese manufacturers to prevent legitimate businesses being exploited by organised crime”, his office said.

The future USS John F. Kennedy, the second Ford class aircraft carrier for the U.S. Navy, has begun its initial sea trials. The Navy is slated to take delivery of the ship in 2027 after years of delays.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced that Kennedy, also known by the hull number CVN-79, had left port in Newport News, Virginia, earlier today to start initial sea trials.

“These trials will test important ship systems and components at sea for the first time,” HII wrote in posts on social media. “This huge milestone is the result of the selfless teamwork and unwavering commitment by our incredible shipbuilders, suppliers and ship’s force crew. We wish them a safe and successful time at sea!”

The extent to which Kennedy has been fitted out is unclear, but the carrier is set to be delivered with some notable differences from the first-in-class USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78). This most notably includes an AN/SPY-6(V)3 radar, also known as the fixed-face version of Raytheon’s Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR), in place of Ford‘s Dual Band Radar (DBR). The DBR has proven immensely troublesome over the years, as you can read more about here. Pictures that HII released today show a number of differences between Kennedy‘s island and the one on Ford, due at least in part to the radar change.

Ford has suffered from a laundry list of other issues over the years, and HII and the Navy have working to leverage those lessons learned in work on all of the future ships in the class.

It is worth noting here that this is not the Navy’s first USS John F. Kennedy, an honor held by a unique subvariant of the Kitty Hawk class carrier design, which served from 1968 until 2007. One of America’s last conventionally powered carriers, it was subsequently sold for scrap despite attempts to turn it into a museum ship.

The Navy ordered the new Kennedy in 2013, and it was laid down at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division in 2015. The ship was launched four years later, at which time the goal was for it to be delivered in 2022. The Navy had originally pursued a dual-phase delivery schedule for the carrier, in which it would arrive initially still lacking certain capabilities. A Congressional demand for the carrier to be able to support F-35C Joint Strike Fighters at the time of delivery contributed to an initial slip in that schedule to 2024. At the time of writing, Ford has yet to set sail on an operational cruise with F-35Cs aboard.

The Navy subsequently shifted the timetable for Kennedy again from 2024 to 2025, ostensibly to complete work that normally would be done during a Post Shakedown Availability (PSA) after delivery. Last year, the service revealed that it pushed the delivery schedule further to the right, to March 2027. The Government Accountability Office (GAO), a Congressional watchdog, separately reported that the Navy might not have the carrier in hand until July 2027.

“The CVN 79 delivery date shifted from July 2025 to March 2027 (preliminary acceptance TBD) to support completion of Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) certification and continued Advanced Weapons Elevator (AWE) work,” according to the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request, which it began releasing in June 2025.

“Construction challenges affected CVN 79 and CVN 80 [the future USS Enterprise] delivery schedules. Continuing delays to Advanced Weapons Elevators construction put CVN 79’s July 2025 delivery at risk, according to program officials,” GAO said in its report, which came out that same month. “They said that, while this construction improved since CVN 78, they may postpone noncritical work like painting until after delivery to avoid delay.”

Problems with the AWEs on Ford became a particular cause celebre during President Donald Trump’s first term office, but the Navy said it had effectively mitigated those issues by 2021. The AWEs are critical to the carrier’s operation, being used to move aircraft munitions and other stores between the ship’s magazines and the flight deck.

Watch the Advanced Weapons Elevators on the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford

Ford has also faced persistent issues with its AAG, as well as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) catapults, though the Navy says it has made progress in addressing those, as well. EMALS and AAG are how Ford class carriers get planes into the air and recover them afterward.

Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS)

USS Gerald R. Ford Launches and Recovery

“Program officials attributed this delay [in work on CVN 79 and CVN 80] to construction material availability and persistent shipyard workforce issues that the program is working to mitigate with revised schedules and worker incentives,” GAO’s June 2025 report also noted. “The program reported it has not assessed the carrier industrial base for potential manufacturing risks but officials said that they plan to leverage other industrial base initiatives. This includes those related to submarines and within the Navy’s new Maritime Industrial Base program office.”

It’s not immediately clear how much all of this has added to Kennedy‘s price tag. Back in 2018, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) pegged Kennedy‘s cost at around $11.3 billion. A new CRS report published in December 2025 said the ship’s estimated acquisition cost had grown to $13.196 billion, citing Navy budget documents, but it is unclear if that accounts in any way for inflation. The Navy continues to estimate that future ships in the Ford class will cost even more, with CVN-81, the future USS Doris Miller, still expected to come in at around $15 billion. The Navy expects to acquire six more Ford class carriers, two of which have already been given names, the future USS William J. Clinton (CVN-82) and USS George W. Bush (CVN-83).

Acquiring more Ford class carriers is a critical priority for the Navy, which has been looking to start retiring its aging Nimitz class carriers for years now. If the Navy decommissions the USS Nimitz this year as planned, the total size of the service’s carrier force will drop to 10 hulls until Kennedy arrives. There is a standing legal requirement for the Navy to have no less than 12 carriers in service, which is reflective of the high demand for these ships, especially in times of crisis.

The Navy has been voicing its own concerns about carrier capacity, and the readiness of the force it does have, for years now. This has only been compounded in the past two years or so by the strain from steady demand for deployments to respond to contingencies in and around the Middle East, and more recently, the Caribbean.

“I think the Ford, from its capability perspective, would be an invaluable option for any military thing the president wants to do,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told TWZ and other outlets on the sidelines of the Surface Navy Association’s (SNA) annual symposium. “But if it requires an extension, it’s going to get some pushback from the CNO. And I will see if there is something else I can do.”

“To the financial and readiness aspects, we have maintenance agreements and contracts that have been made with yards that are going to repair the ships that are in that strike group, including the carrier itself,” Caudle noted. “And so when those are tied to a specific time, the yard is expecting it to be there. All that is highly disruptive.”

Caudle was responding to a question about whether Ford could be tasked to support a new potential U.S. operation against Iran. The carrier is currently sailing in the Caribbean Sea, where it has been operating for months now. Earlier this month, it took part in the operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. Since the CNO offered his comments at SNA, the Navy has sent the Nimitz class carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group from the Pacific to the Middle East.

As an aside, CVN-79 is expected to be the first Ford class carrier homeported on the West Coast. Ford‘s homeport is Norfolk, Virginia, on the East Coast.

The Navy is now at least one step closer to taking delivery of the future USS John F. Kennedy.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

SEOUL, Jan. 29 (UPI) — South Korea’s two semiconductor giants, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, posted record performances last year, driven by the rising demand for memory chips amid the AI boom.

Samsung Electronics announced Thursday that its fourth-quarter operating profit more than doubled year-on-year to $14 billion on sales of $65.6 billion, up 23.8%. Both were all-time highs.

For the full year 2025, revenue rose 10.9% from a year earlier to $233.4 billion, while operating income climbed 33.2% to $30.5 billion.

The strong showing came a day after SK hynix released its strong earnings.

In the final quarter of 2025, SK hynix posted $23 billion in sales, up 66% from a year before, for an operating profit of $13.4 billion, a 137% surge.

For the full year, its turnover and operating income increased 47% and 101% to $68 billion and $33 billion, respectively.

The 2026 outlook for both companies remains bright amid continued expansion in the AI industry.

“Looking ahead to Q1 2026, the DS Division expects AI and server demand to continue increasing, leading to more opportunities for structural growth. In response, the division will continue to focus on profitability via a strong emphasis on high-performance products,” Samsung said in a statement.

“In 2026 as a whole, the DS Division aims to lead the AI era with product competitiveness amid a rapidly growing demand environment, particularly by expanding the sales of AI-related offerings in both DRAM and NAND,” it added.

Short for device solutions, Samsung’s DS Division deals with semiconductors and components. By contrast, its device experience part handles mobile phones, home appliances and network equipment.

“As the AI market shifts from training to inference while demand for distributed architectures expands, the role of memory will become increasingly critical,” SK hynix said in a statement.

“Accordingly, not only demand for high-performance memory such as HBM is expected to grow continuously, but also for overall memory products including server DRAM and NAND as well,” it said.

Semiconductor super-cycle and DRAM beggars

In line with the upbeat prospect, brokerage houses project that Samsung’s bottom line will near $90 billion this year, while that of SK hynix will surpass $70 billion.

SK Securities even forecasts that Samsung and SK hynix each will rack up more than $100 billion in profits this year.

Soaring semiconductor prices and outstanding earnings of chipmakers have fueled talk of a “semiconductor super-cycle.”

Business tracker TrendForce predicts that DRAM prices will rocket more than 55% in the first three months of 2026 compared to the previous quarter. Those of NAND flash are also expected to climb over 30% over the same period.

SK Securities analyst Han Dong-hee also said that supply shortages are spreading across all product segments, including advanced high-bandwidth memory, which is essential for AI applications, as well as commodity DRAM used in mobile devices or computers.

“For customers, the top priority has become securing stable volumes through long-term agreements, while suppliers are expected to pursue profit maximization and stable growth by optimizing the share of long-term contracts,” Han said in a report.

Sungkyunkwan University semiconductor professor Choi Byoung-deog said that there are “DRAM beggars,” or executives from major global tech companiesm who have been traveling to Korea to beg for chips from Samsung and SK hynix.

“The super-cycle in memory will eventually come to an end. As global tech giants keep pouring massive investments into AI, however, the current upcycle is likely to last two or three years,” Choi told UPI. “That’s why desperate buyers are flying to Korea to plead for memory chip supplies.”

Sungkyunkwan University semiconductor professor Han Tae-hee struck a more cautious tone, though.

“I also expect that the present super-cycle will continue through this summer. But beyond that, any unexpected events could take place to weigh on the semiconductor industry,” Han said in a phone interview.

“Six months ago, we could not predict today’s booming memory chip sales. Likewise, we cannot know for sure what will happen six months later.”

The share price of Samsung Electronics fell 1.05% on the Seoul bourse Thursday, while SK hynix rose 2.38%.

French forward Kylian Mbappe questions team’s desire after damaging defeat sends Real Madrid into playoffs.

Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe has said his team “deserve” to be in their current situation because they were not consistent enough for a top-eight spot as his side slipped into the Champions League playoff round.

The record 15-time European champions fell to a 4-2 defeat at Jose Mourinho’s Benfica on Wednesday, finishing ninth in the league phase table, meaning they must face their Portuguese conquerors or Bodo/Glimt in February instead of reaching the last 16 directly.

After three wins in their previous three matches under new coach Alvaro Arbeloa, Madrid were brought back down to earth by Benfica in Lisbon.

“The problem is we aren’t consistent in our play, we have to fix that, you can’t have one day [playing well] and another not, a champion team does not do that,” Mbappe told reporters.

“We deserve to be in this situation today. Benfica were better. Now we have to play two more playoff games. It hurts to have to play those. We wanted to have the time in February to work on our game.”

Mbappe said he could not put his finger on a clear reason why Madrid played so poorly against Benfica.

“I think it’s a bit of everything. I can’t tell you it’s just a matter of attitude, because if I only say that, you’ll think we came here without any desire,” said the French superstar, who scored twice in the defeat.

“If I tell you it’s a football issue, you’ll think the team is bad. No, I think it’s a broader issue, and in the Champions League, every detail matters if you want to beat your opponent.

“It shows you that if you don’t come in with everything you need to win a Champions League match, the opponent will come and, as they say, make fools of you.”

However, Mbappe called on Madrid’s fans to support the team at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga, rather than booing as they did earlier in January.

“Come and support the team – we had a bad game – but we are not knocked out of the Champions League, and in La Liga we’re in a good dynamic now,” pleaded Mbappe.

“If the Bernabeu is with us, we will win on Sunday.”

Interior Minister Anas Khattab’s order includes all listed as stateless and sets February 5 as deadline for its rollout.

Syria’s Ministry of Interior has ordered the immediate implementation of a new decree granting citizenship to Kurdish minorities, as government forces continue to consolidate control of the country after a rapid offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the north of the country.

Interior Minister Anas Khattab issued the decision on Wednesday, mandating that the decree applies to all Kurds residing in Syria and explicitly includes those listed as stateless, the Anadolu news agency reported, citing the Syrian television station Alikhbariah.

The ministry has set a February 5 deadline for finalising the measures and their rollout, the report said.

Two weeks ago, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa had declared the recognition of Kurdish as one of the country’s national languages and the restoration of citizenship to all Kurdish Syrians, as he announced a ceasefire between Syrian and Kurdish forces.

The rapid advance of Syrian forces forced the SDF to withdraw from more cities, including Raqqa and Deir Az Zor, allowing the government in Damascus to unite the country after a nearly 14-year-long ruinous civil war.

The development has drawn praise from United States President Donald Trump, who told al-Sharaa that he was “very happy” about the Syrian army offensive despite the previous US backing of the SDF.

Still, there have been reports of Kurdish civilians facing a shortage of food and displacement as a standoff between Syrian forces and the SDF continues in the country’s northern region.

According to the Anadolu report, the authorities in charge of rolling out al-Sharaa’s order have been asked to draft instructions and guidelines for the decree’s implementation at once.

Under al-Sharaa’s decree, the state has also been instructed to safeguard the culture and language of Syrian Kurds, as well as the teaching of the Kurdish language in public and private schools in Kurdish-majority areas.

The decree has also designated March 21 as the date of the Newroz festival, a nationwide celebration welcoming spring that is widely observed, not just in Syria.

On Wednesday, al-Sharaa met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss the future of Syria and the presence of Russian troops in the country.

At the meeting, Putin praised his Syrian counterpart’s ongoing efforts to stabilise his country.

Since al-Sharaa’s forces toppled Russian ally Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Moscow has been working to build relations with him and ensure a continued military foothold in the country to bolster its influence in the Middle East.