World

A Roscosmos cosmonaut aboard the International Space Station filmed sweeping auroras over Earth on Tuesday as a powerful solar storm set the planet’s upper atmosphere aglow with vivid color. Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, a member of Russia’s space agency, shared footage from orbit and described an intense display that washed the night side of Earth in unusual red tones. “During yesterday’s strongest storm in two decades, there was plenty of red glow. It felt as if we were literally sailing inside that light,” Kud-Sverchkov wrote on…

The United States and Denmark plan to renegotiate the 1951 defense agreement that underpins the U.S. military presence in Greenland, according to a person familiar with the matter, a move that reflects shifting security realities in the Arctic and Greenland’s expanded autonomy within the Kingdom of Denmark. The discussions are expected to focus on updating the legal framework governing operations at Pituffik Space Base — the longtime U.S. facility formerly known as Thule Air Base — and clarifying the role of Greenland’s…

The United States and Denmark plan to renegotiate the 1951 defense agreement governing the U.S. military presence in Greenland, according to a source familiar with the matter. The move would update a foundational pact that has underpinned North Atlantic security for more than seven decades and comes as the Arctic’s strategic importance accelerates. The 1951 Agreement Relating to the Defense of Greenland, struck under the NATO framework, allows the United States to operate defense installations on the island, most notably…

Ghislaine Maxwell is set to appear virtually before the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 9, with her lawyers indicating she plans to invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination as lawmakers probe Jeffrey Epstein’s network and the government’s handling of records tied to his case. Committee Chairman James Comer said Maxwell’s legal team has repeatedly signaled she will refuse to answer questions. “I agree we need to hear from Ghislaine Maxwell,” Comer said, noting the panel has been seeking her deposition for…

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A Texas jury on Wednesday acquitted a former Uvalde school district police officer of all criminal child-endangerment charges stemming from the botched law enforcement response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School massacre that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Adrian Gonzales, 52, faced 29 counts of felony child endangerment over what prosecutors said was his failure to act against the gunman in the first minutes of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Each count carried a…

UK declines to attend Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ signing in Davos, citing Putin’s involvement Britain will not take part in the signing ceremony for U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” on Wednesday in Davos, citing “concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace,” Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said. Trump is hosting the launch of the new forum on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, pitching it as a vehicle to resolve international conflicts. The White House says about 35…

At least 55 dead in Karachi mall fire as families provide DNA amid painstaking search at Gul Plaza KARACHI, Pakistan — The death toll from a weekend fire at a shopping mall in Pakistan’s largest city climbed to at least 55 as rescuers combed the wreckage of the three-story Gul Plaza and families waited for news of missing loved ones, authorities said. “A total of 55 bodies have been recovered since Saturday night” when the blaze erupted, said Javed Nabi Khoso, deputy commissioner of Karachi’s south district, speaking to AFP.…

MOUNT MAUNGANUI, New Zealand — A rain-fueled landslide slammed into a seaside campsite on New Zealand’s North Island, burying a shower block and smashing several camper vans under tons of mud, with multiple people missing and rescuers racing against dangerously shifting ground. The slide struck at the base of Mount Maunganui, an extinct volcanic cone in northern New Zealand, after heavy overnight downpours. Photos and video shared on local media showed a mound of saturated earth crushing the camp’s shower facility and…

Trump retreats from Greenland seizure threat, touts open-ended Arctic security deal and lifts tariff warnings DAVOS, Switzerland — President Donald Trump backed down from threats to seize Greenland by force from U.S. ally Denmark, announcing a vague security arrangement he said delivers “everything we wanted” and lifting promised tariffs on European partners that opposed the move. Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Trump said the agreement was negotiated with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and would last “forever,”…

DAVOS, Switzerland — President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine would be “stupid” not to strike a peace deal and claimed he will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Davos on Thursday, even as Kyiv insisted Zelensky remains in the Ukrainian capital. Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Trump repeated his view that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky are close to an agreement to end the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. “I believe they’re at a point now where they…