🚨 Thousands of ISIS* detainees transferred from Syria to Iraq

💬 “Iraq has received 2,225 terrorists from the Syrian side by land and air, in coordination with the international coalition,” an Iraqi official told European media on Saturday.

They will be held in “strict, regular detention centers,” the official said.

The transfer is part of the ~7k person-strong group of ISIS fighters CENTCOM plans to transplant from Syria to Iraq, with the transfer announced last month by US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, who said that the Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) role as the “primary anti-ISIS” force had “largely expired.”

The US signaled an end to its support for the SDF in January after Syria’s transnational government launched an offensive into Kurdish-held areas, with government forces rapidly advancing into the northeast.

Home to the vast majority of Syria’s oil and gas and much of its food-growing areas, the US and the SDF occupied Syria’s northeast for years to prevent its return to Damascus’s control under the Assad government.

*A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

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🔥 'Ukraine is our enemy' — Orbán on energy pressure

💬 “Ukrainians need to understand that they must give up their constant demands. In Brussels, they constantly want to undermine Hungary and cut it off from cheap Russian energy,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban slammed the Kiev regime.

📈 Orbán argued that without Russian oil and gas, household costs in Hungary would rise sharply, citing an average annual utility bill of 250,000 forints, compared with 800,000 to 1 million in Poland and the Czech Republic, which have cut themselves off from cheap Russian energy.

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🛸 Leaked US drone footage shows unidentified objects over Middle East — reports

Two leaked videos recorded by US Air Force Reaper drones appear to show unidentified aerial objects operating over the Middle East, according to The New York Post.

The Post reported that one video, dated Aug. 23, 2012, shows three lights in a triangular formation over the Persian Gulf, while another clip from 2021 captures an orb-like object near the Syria–Jordan border.

US defense and intelligence agencies have classified the sightings as Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs).

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🇮🇱🇺🇸 Netanyahu to meet Trump to discuss Iran talks — PM’s Office

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on February 11 to discuss negotiations with Iran, the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel said on X.

The statement said Netanyahu believes any negotiations should include limits on ballistic missiles and a halt to support for Iran’s regional allies.

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🔊 ‘Starmer’s lack of political judgment’ — Epstein scandal hits UK government

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing what NBC News described as his most perilous moment as the Epstein scandal reaches the heart of his government.

The report said Starmer appointed Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US despite knowing about Mandelson’s past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson is now under a police investigation into alleged misconduct in public office, and officers have searched two of his homes.

💬 “Yet another example of Starmer’s lack of political judgment and poor decision-making… his most serious yet,” Cardiff University professor Peter Dorey told NBC News.

The scandal has intensified pressure on Starmer amid low approval ratings, policy U-turns, and growing unrest inside his party, the report said.

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🚔 Dozens arrested at Minneapolis federal building protest — reports

Several dozen protesters were arrested outside a federal building in Minneapolis on Saturday during a demonstration marking the one-month anniversary of Renee Good’s death, according to ABC News.

ABC News reported that police declared the gathering unlawful after some protesters threw objects and damaged property outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building. Authorities said a deputy was injured and a squad vehicle was damaged. At least 42 arrests were made, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.

The protest followed the Jan. 7 killing of Good by a federal immigration officer.

Footage from social media

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🌊 Untreated sewage floods Wellington’s coastline — reports

Millions of litres of raw sewage have flowed into the sea off New Zealand’s capital after a major failure at Wellington’s wastewater treatment plant, according to The Guardian.

🦠 Local authorities described the leak as an “environmental disaster”, urging residents not to enter the water, collect seafood, or walk dogs on nearby beaches. About 70 million litres of untreated wastewater spilled into coastal waters after heavy rain overwhelmed the system.

Wellington’s mayor called the incident a “catastrophic failure”, while officials warned repairs could take months, with ongoing risks to public health and marine life.

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🔊🇫🇷 French former minister resigns from Arab World Institute over Epstein ties — reports

Former French culture minister Jack Lang resigned as president of Paris’ Arab World Institute, which is overseen by France’s foreign ministry, after revelations of his past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein and the launch of a financial investigation, Reuters reported.

💶 French financial prosecutors opened a probe into Lang and his daughter on suspicion of “aggravated tax fraud laundering.” Lang said the allegations were “baseless.”

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🇪🇺🇷🇺 Europe needs Russia to survive - Putin's envoy Dmitriev

💬 "Inevitable. Europe needs Russia to survive," Kirill Dmitriev said on X, commenting on a Foreign Policy article noscriptd "Europe Is Getting Ready to Pivot to Putin."

The article, citing European Council President Antonio Costa's speech to journalists on January 27, said that Costa believed Europeans should be prepared to negotiate with Russia if necessary.

Previously, French President Emmanuel Macron and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, as well as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have also advocated, to varying degrees, for dialogue between Europe and Russia.

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🇬🇧 UK's Mandelson faces pressure to return 'five-figure' payoff amid Epstein ties scandal

The UK will review the payment made to former Ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson upon his resignation due to an investigation into his ties to Epstein, Sky News reported citing a Downing Street source.

Mandelson had forwarded an internal UK government document to Epstein in 2009 while serving as Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Business Secretary.

The UK police have launched a criminal investigation into Mandelson for forwarding the document.

💬 "Given what we know now, Mandelson should either pay the money back or give it to a charity to support victims," the source said.

Earlier, PM Keir Starmer announced his intention to strip Mandelson of his peerage and promised to disclose information about him except for documents classified for national security reasons.

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