Category: News
Suicide Bomb Rocks Pakistan’s Capital, Over 30 Dead & 169 Wounded
Suicide Bomb Rocks Pakistan’s Capital, Over 30 Dead & 169 Wounded
At least 31 people were killed and 169 others injured on Friday when a suicide bomber struck a Shia mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad during Friday prayers, Pakistani officials said, in one of the capital’s deadliest attacks in over a decade.
The blast happened in the Khadija al-Kubra Imambargah mosque in the outskirts of Islamabad, with police saying the attacker had been stopped at the mosque gate before opening fire and setting off explosives among worshipers, according to officials cited by Reuters.
Footage and images from the site showed bodies and debris scattered across the mosque’s carpeted prayer hall, with the wounded lying in the compound gardens, as bystanders called for help and rushed victims to hospitals.
Islamabad deputy commissioner Irfan Memon said the death toll stood at 31, adding that 169 injured people had been brought in for treatment, some in critical condition.
No group claimed responsibility yet; however, conflict monitor ACLED said the attack “bears the hallmarks of the Islamic State,“ while officials noted that Shia communities, a minority in Pakistan, have repeatedly been targeted in sectarian violence by extremist groups, including the Islamic State and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the bombing as “a crime against humanity,” ordering full medical assistance to be provided for the wounded.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said a thorough investigation is underway and that “those who are responsible must be identified and punished.”
The attack unfolded as Islamabad was already under heightened security for a visiting foreign leader, with checkpoints and armed patrols deployed across the capital.
While bombings are rare in the capital city, officials say militant violence has surged across the country in recent months.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif accused India of sponsoring the attack without presenting evidence, a claim New Delhi did not immediately respond to and has repeatedly denied in the past.
The deadly mosque attack comes after Pakistani security forces launched large-scale operations in Balochistan – a vast, sparsely populated region in southwestern Pakistan – following a wave of coordinated gun and bomb attacks over the weekend that killed about 50 people.
A suicide blast in Shia mosque has killed more than 31 people in Islamabad, Pakistan. Jinnah made a country for Muslims but Muslims kill more Muslims than any other religion in Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/YQcVaY8bgs
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) February 6, 2026
Islamabad announced the killing of at least 145 separatist militants from the Balochistan Liberation Army, according to provincial officials. Authorities said the assaults targeted multiple districts, including Quetta and Gwadar, and included suicide bombings and gunfire at security installations.
Pakistan’s provincial leadership accused Afghanistan and India of backing the militants – claims that New Delhi has denied – as Islamabad imposed sweeping security restrictions across the province amid a broader surge in militant violence.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 02/06/2026 – 20:55
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/suicide-bomb-rocks-pakistans-capital-over-30-dead-169-wounded
Prosecutors drop felony assault charge against Penn State’s Gavin McKenna, a top NHL prospect
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Prosecutors have dropped the most serious assault charge against Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna, considered a likely top pick in this year’s NHL draft, but he remains accused of less serious offenses.
The Centre County prosecutor said Friday that aggravated assault would have required proof McKenna acted with the intention of causing serious injury or that he showed an extreme indifference to the value of human life. McKenna was accused of injuring a man during an altercation last weekend.
Although the police complaint alleged the victim suffered injuries to both sides of his jaw and was missing a tooth as a result, Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna said subsequent investigation showed there were two fractures to the same side of his jaw and that no teeth were knocked out. He is recovering from surgery, Cantorna said.
Canadian McKenna, 18, is a freshman center from Whitehorse, Yukon. A phone message seeking comment was left late Friday for McKenna’s lawyer, Jason Dunkle. The incident occurred hours after Penn State lost to No. 2 Michigan State in an outdoor game at Beaver Stadium.
Cantorna said video evidence led him and police to drop the felony charge.
McKenna remains charged with misdemeanor simple assault, along with harassment and disorderly conduct. Cantorna said the preliminary hearing has been rescheduled for March 11.
McKenna decided to play for Penn State after the NCAA lifted its ban on Canadian Hockey League players competing at the Division I level. A name, image and likeness deal with the Nittany Lions helped draw McKenna to join the program.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/06/gavin-mckenna-penn-state-felony-dropped/
Pentagon says it’s cutting ties with ‘woke’ Harvard, discontinuing military training, fellowships
The Pentagon said Friday it is cutting ties with Harvard University, ending all military training, fellowships and certificate programs with the Ivy League institution.
The announcement marks the latest development in the Trump administration’s prolonged standoff with Harvard over the White House’s demands for reforms at the Ivy League school.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement Friday that Harvard “no longer meets the needs of the War Department or the military services.”
“For too long, this department has sent our best and brightest officers to Harvard, hoping the university would better understand and appreciate our warrior class,” Hegseth said. “Instead, too many of our officers came back looking too much like Harvard — heads full of globalist and radical ideologies that do not improve our fighting ranks.”
In a separate post on X, Hegseth wrote, “Harvard is woke; The War Department is not.”
Starting with the 2026-27 academic year, the Pentagon will discontinue graduate-level professional military education, fellowships and certificate programs, the statement said. Personnel currently attending classes at Harvard will be able to finish those courses.
Similar programs at other Ivy League universities will be evaluated in coming weeks, Hegseth said.
Hegseth earned a master’s degree from Harvard but symbolically returned his diploma in a 2022 Fox News segment. A Pentagon social media account run by Hegseth’s office resurfaced the clip in which Hegseth, then a Fox News commentator, returned the diploma and wrote “Return to Sender” on it with a marker.
The military offers its officers a variety of opportunities to get graduate-level education both at war colleges run by the military as well as civilian institutions like Harvard.
Broadly, while opportunities to attend prestigious civilian schools offer less direct benefit to a servicemember’s military career than their civilian counterparts, they help make troops more attractive employees once they leave the military.
Harvard has long been President Donald Trump’s top target in his administration’s campaign to bring the nation’s most prestigious universities to heel. His officials have cut billions of dollars in Harvard’s federal research funding and attempted to block it from enrolling foreign students after the campus rebuffed a series of government demands last April.
The White House has said it’s punishing Harvard for tolerating anti-Jewish bias on campus. Harvard leaders argue they’re facing illegal retaliation for failing to adopt the administration’s ideological views. Harvard sued the administration in a pair of lawsuits. A federal judge issued orders siding with Harvard in both cases. The administration is appealing.
Tensions had eased over the summer as Trump teased a deal that he said was just days away. It never materialized and on Monday the president dug deeper, demanding $1 billion from Harvard as part of any deal to restore federal funding. That’s twice what he had demanded before.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/06/pentagon-cutting-ties-harvard/
“Tough Choices”: Grant Cardone Puts Private Jet Up For Sale During Bitcoin Crash
“Tough Choices”: Grant Cardone Puts Private Jet Up For Sale During Bitcoin Crash
Minutes after Bitcoin plunged below the $70,000 handle on Thursday evening, Grant Cardone of Cardone Capital told followers on X that, with “Bitcoin crashing,” he now has to sell his $75 million private jet.
“Bitcoin is crashing so I have to say bye to the love of my life. Tough choices,” Grant Cardone posted around 7:32 p.m. ET, minutes after Bitcoin slipped to around $69,000. Hours later, in Asian trading, it crashed further to about $60,033 (has since recovered to $70,000 by EOD Friday).
Cardone continued, “2024 Bombardier Global 7500, loaded, 5-year warranty, full programs, only 190 hours, full k-band, and ready for Starlink.”
Bitcoin is crashing so I have to say bye to the love of my life. Tough choices. 2024 Bombardier Global 7500, loaded, 5 year warranty, full programs, only 190 hours, full k-band and ready for starlink. Interior is gorgeous. 😢😢😢 find it on controller. pic.twitter.com/h9c5ndbC0u
— Grant Cardone (@GrantCardone) February 6, 2026
He noted that the $75 million Global 7500 (fitted for 17 passengers) is listed on Controller, a website with a searchable marketplace for buying and selling aircraft (jets, turboprops, piston airplanes, helicopters).
Controller states the jet’s tail number is “N724EM” and has approximately 59.8 hours on the airframe. Total landings are about 25, an indication that use of the jet was fairly light.
Cardone’s X feed has seen a flood of posts over the last year about a “Bitcoin hybrid” strategy that works as a real-estate syndication, running a built-in Bitcoin accumulation plan inside the same fund.
Bitcoin drawdowns appear to be a stress test for Cardone’s hybrid model. One can only imagine what a worst-case scenario, combining a crypto drawdown with tightening liquidity and stress across commercial real estate, would do to that strategy.
Well, for Cardone, it’s now NetJets.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 02/06/2026 – 20:30
Stevens no le permite a Tatum dudar de su importancia y le recuerda que Celtics son mejores con él
Por JIMMY GOLEN
BOSTON (AP) — Brad Stevens tiene un mensaje para Jayson Tatum en caso de que el astro lesionado de los Celtics de Boston sienta que ya no encaja en el equipo al que llevó al título de la NBA en el 2024.
“Obviamente, cualquier equipo con Jayson Tatum va a ser mejor”, dijo Stevens el viernes. “Si lo necesita, se lo diré todos los días, porque cada equipo, los 30 de nosotros, sería mucho, mucho mejor con él en el plantel”.
Tatum llevó a Boston a conquistar su 18vo campeonato y parecía otra vez en camino a la coronación la primavera pasada, antes de romperse el tendón de Aquiles en las semifinales de la Conferencia Este contra los Knicks de Nueva York.
Los Celtics parecían dirigirse a un año de reconstrucción durante el verano, cuando canjearon a jugadores clave como Jrue Holiday y Kristaps Porzingis para evitar el segundo nivel punitivo del impuesto de lujo en la liga.
Pero llegaron a la fecha límite de canjes de esta semana empatados en el segundo puesto del Este, con la posibilidad de que si Tatum regresa al final los lleve lejos en la postemporada.
Ante la pregunta de si ha pensado que podría alterar la química del equipo al regresar, Tatum respondió que sí.
“Eso es algo que contemplo todos los días”, dijo en el podcast The Pivot. “Habrían jugado cincuenta y tantos partidos sin mí. Así que tienen una identidad este año o cosas que han sentido que han funcionado para ellos, y ha sido exitoso”.
Stevens dijo que no había escuchado el podcast, pero por sus conversaciones con Tatum, seis veces elegido al Juego de Estrellas, lo único que ha percibido son las usuales dudas sobre regresar al mismo nivel tras una dura lesión.
“Ésas son sólo cosas que pasan por la mente de todos”, dijo Stevens, riéndose de la idea de que el equipo estaría mejor sin Tatum. “En todas nuestras conversaciones, él está seguro de que también puede mejorar al equipo”.
Por ahora, Tatum todavía tiene “un camino por recorrer”, y el equipo no va a apresurarlo, dijo Stevens.
A pesar de la ausencia de Tatum y la reducción salarial antes de la campaña, los Celtics (33-18) ganaron cuatro partidos consecutivos antes del plazo de canjes que venció el jueves, cuando Stevens redujo aún más la nómina al enviar a Anfernee Simons a Chicago por Nikola Vucevic y luego se deshizo de Josh Minott, Xavier Tillman y Chris Boucher para bajar por debajo del umbral del impuesto de lujo.
“Es mejor para Jayson venir cuando esté al 110% de salud, esté completamente autorizado por todos los que importan en esa decisión, y tenga una gran tranquilidad y esté listo para hacerlo”, dijo Stevens. “Eso es todo. Ese es el objetivo, y eso es lo que vamos a perseguir”.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
México Verde sorprende a Dominicana y es finalista en la Serie del Caribe
GUADALAJARA, México (AP) — Los Tomateros de Culiacán se apoyaron en los bates de Luis Verdugo y Estevan Florial para doblegar el viernes 9-4 a los Leones del Escogido, con lo que sellaron sorpresivamente su boleto para la final de la Serie del Caribe.
Subcampeones de la Liga Mexicana del Pacífico, los Tomateros se identifican en este certamen como México Verde. Dos conjuntos participan por el país anfitrión en virtud de la ausencia de Venezuela, que iba a ser sede de la serie y terminó sin siquiera participar ante las tensiones geopolíticas que desencadenaron una incursión militar estadounidense.
Tras colarse en el certamen, México Verde ha eliminado a los monarcas dominicanos, grandes favoritos, y se apresta a disputar el encuentro por el título.
Enfrentará en la final al ganador del duelo entre México Rojo y Puerto Rico, que se disputaba por la noche.
Los Leones, que buscaban revalidar el título obtenido el año pasado en Mexicali, tomaron ventaja temprano con un sencillo remolcador en la segunda entrada y un error de Carlos Sepúlveda en la tercera.
México Verde reaccionó con un jonrón de tres carreras de Florial, expelotero de los Leones, que le dio la vuelta a la pizarra en el cuarto episodio. Amplió la ventaja con dos anotaciones más en la sexta entrada, producto de un sencillo remolcador de Verdugo y un elevado de sacrificio de Román Alí Solís.
Los Tomateros aseguraron la victoria con un ataque de cuatro carreras en el séptimo episodio, encabezado por un doble remolcador de dos anotaciones de Verdugo. Los Leones trataron de reaccionar con un sencillo productor de Gustavo Núñez en la parte baja del mismo capítulo, que sólo sirvió para maquillar el resultado.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Justice Department will allow lawmakers to see unredacted versions of released Epstein files
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice will allow members of Congress to review unredacted files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein starting on Monday, according to a letter that was sent to lawmakers.
The letter obtained by The Associated Press says that lawmakers will be able to review unredacted versions of the more than 3 million files that the Justice Department has released to comply with a law passed by Congress last year.
To access the files, lawmakers will need to give the Justice Department 24 hours’ notice. They will be able to review the files on computers at the Department of Justice. Only lawmakers, not their staff, will have access to the files, and they will be permitted to take notes, but not make electronic copies.
The arrangement, first reported by NBC News, showed the continued demand for information on Epstein and his crimes by lawmakers, even after the Justice Department devoted large numbers of its staff to comply with the law passed by Congress last year. The Justice Department has come under criticism for delays in the release of information, failing to redact the personal information and photos of victims and not releasing the entire 6 million documents collected in relation to Epstein.
Still, lawmakers central to the push for transparency, described the concession by the Justice Department as a victory.
“When Congress pushes back, Congress can prevail,” Rep. Ro Khanna, who sponsored what’s known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, posted on social media.
Khanna has pointed to several emails between Epstein and individuals whose information was redacted that appeared to refer to the sexual abuse of underage girls. The release of the case files has prompted inquiries around the world about men who cavorted with the well-connected financier. Still, lawmakers are pressing for a further reckoning over anyone who may have had knowledge of Epstein’s abuse or could have helped facilitate it.
Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019 while he faced charges that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage girls. The case was brought more than a decade after he secretly cut a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida to dispose of nearly identical allegations. Epstein was accused of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars in cash for massages and then molesting them.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/06/unredacted-versions-released-epstein-files/
China Bans Stablecoin Issuance By Foreign And Domestic Companies
China Bans Stablecoin Issuance By Foreign And Domestic Companies
Submitted by Cointelegraph,
The People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the country’s central bank, and seven Chinese regulatory agencies published a joint statement on Friday banning the unapproved issuance of Renminbi-pegged stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs).
The ban applies to both domestic and foreign stablecoin and tokenized RWA issuers, according to the statement, which was also signed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and China’s Securities Regulatory Commission. A translation of the announcement said:
“Stablecoins pegged to fiat currencies perform some of the functions of fiat currencies in disguise during circulation and use. No unit or individual at home or abroad may issue RMB-linked stablecoins without the consent of relevant departments.”
Winston Ma, an adjunct professor at New York University (NYU) Law School and former Managing Director of CIC, China’s sovereign wealth fund, told Cointelegraph that the ban extends to the onshore and offshore versions of China’s Renminbi, also called the yuan.
“The Beijing crypto ban rule applies across all RMB-related markets, whether CNH or CNY,” he said. CNH is the offshore version of the Renminbi, designed to give the currency flexibility in foreign exchange markets, without sacrificing currency controls, Ma said.
“This is the latest step in a multi‑year project: Keep speculative crypto outside the formal financial system, while actively promoting the usage of e-CNY, the sovereign CBDC issued by China’s central bank,” he said.
The announcement follows the Chinese government approving commercial banks to share interest with clients holding the country’s digital yuan, a central bank digital currency (CBDC) managed by state authorities
Chinese government briefly considered yuan-pegged stables, but focused on CBDC instead
In August 2025, reports began circulating that China’s government was considering allowing private companies to issue yuan-pegged stablecoins, a major reversal of long-standing policy.
However, the Chinese government restricted stablecoin and digital asset issuance in September of that same year, instructing stablecoin issuers to pause or halt their stablecoin trials until further notice.
In January 2026, the PBOC approved commercial banks paying interest to digital yuan wallets in a push to make the CBDC more attractive to investors.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 02/06/2026 – 20:05
https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/china-bans-stablecoin-issuance-foreign-and-domestic-companies
Judge rules Trump administration can’t withhold child care and social service funds to Illinois and 4 other states
A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must keep funds flowing to child care subsidies and other social service programs in five Democratic-controlled states — at least for now.
U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick in New York, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama, granted the states’ request for a preliminary injunction and a stay against the administration to bar it from withholding the money while a lawsuit works its way through the courts.
The states affected include California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York. The five states said they receive a total of more than $10 billion a year from the programs.
Attorneys representing the federal government in the case did not immediately return emails seeking comment Friday night. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
Two temporary rulings had been issued in January, when the states sued, that blocked the federal governmentfrom holding back the funding, with the latest set to expire on Friday.
The programs in question are the Child Care and Development Fund, which subsidizes child care for 1.3 million children from low-income families nationally; the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides cash assistance and job training; and the Social Services Block Grant, a smaller fund that provides money for a variety of programs.
“Every day, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers rely on these funds to pay for necessities and provide their children a safe place to learn,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “This illegal funding freeze would have caused severe chaos in the lives of some of the most vulnerable families in our state. I am proud to have secured another victory in this case to put a stop to it.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta added in a statement, “The Trump Administration’s actions are not only unlawful — they are cruel, targeting the most vulnerable among us.”
The government’s explanation of its actions has shifted.
When the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it was withholding the money, it said there was “reason to believe” the states were granting benefits to people in the country illegally. It did not initially explain where the information came from. But in a court hearing, a federal government lawyer said it was largely in reaction to news reports about possible fraud.
HHS did not immediately return an email request for comment.
And while the government’s initial news release said it “froze” access to money, federal lawyers told the judge that wasn’t what was happening. Rather, they said, the Trump administration was requiring more information from those states.
The government says it wants more records from the group of states, including names and Social Security numbers for beneficiaries of some of the programs.
Advocates warn that cutting off the child care subsidies could have deep impacts. Day cares that accept the subsidies could face the risk of layoffs or closures. And that would affect both the lower-income families who receive the subsidies and families who don’t. And for many families, losing child care can make it hard or impossible to work.
The Trump administration has targeted multiple programs in Minnesota due to previous fraud cases and new allegations, mostly involving members of the state’s Somali community.
Besides the heightened requirements for the four other Democratic-led states, the administration also has required all states to submit more information about how they’re using money in the child care program before they can draw down the funds.
Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/06/illinois-child-care-federal-funding-ruling/
Hallan restos humanos al noroeste de México donde desaparecieron 10 trabajadores de mina canadiense
Associated Press
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO (AP) — La fiscalía federal de México informó el viernes de la localización de “cuerpos y restos humanos” al sur del estado noroccidental de Sinaloa, en una zona donde las autoridades buscaban a 10 trabajadores de una mina canadiense de oro y plata desaparecidos desde finales de enero.
El comunicado de la fiscalía no dijo cuántos cadáveres o restos se habían localizado y sólo indicó que uno de los cuerpos “cuenta con características similares a una de las personas reportadas como desaparecidas”, aunque se trabaja para confirmar su identidad.
Este departamento también informó de la detención de cuatro personas presuntamente vinculadas a la desaparición de los trabajadores.
La fiscalía de Sinaloa detalló que el hallazgo fue en la comunidad de El Verde, en Concordia —el municipio donde está la mina— pero tampoco detalló número de cuerpos encontrados.
Esa zona montañosa al sur de Sinaloa es uno de los muchos puntos de este estado del Pacífico que desde hace más de un año es escenario de una sangrienta guerra entre dos facciones del Cártel de Sinaloa.
Después del secuestro, que coincidió con el ataque a dos diputados federales en Culiacán, capital de Sinaloa, el gobierno mexicano incrementó la presencia de fuerzas armadas en el estado y lanzó un operativo para localizar a los trabajadores.
El pasado 28 de enero, la minera Vizsla Silver informó del secuestro de diez personas de sus instalaciones, dijo haberlo notificado a las autoridades y que sus equipos de “gestión de crisis” trabajaban activamente para garantizar la seguridad de los involucrados. En ese comunicado informaba también de la suspensión temporal de ciertas actividades.
La Cámara de Comercio de Canadá en México manifestó la preocupación por la integridad de los colaboradores de la minera, rechazó “cualquier acto de violencia” y recordó en una nota de prensa que desde la entidad se impulsa “la inversión de empresas canadienses en México siempre bajo el marco del estado de derecho”.
Las explotaciones mineras en México han sido tradicionalmente objetivo del acoso del crimen organizado. Los distintos cárteles han ofrecido o impuesto su protección en algunas explotaciones y han llegado a controlar otras, por ejemplo, en el estado de Michoacán.
