U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his “total endorsement” for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ahead of Sunday’s legislative election in Japan, and announced they would meet at the White House on March 19.
“Prime Minister Takaichi is someone who deserves powerful recognition for the job she and her Coalition are doing,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
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“Therefore, as President of the United States of America, it is my Honor to give a Complete and Total Endorsement of her, and what her highly respected Coalition is representing.”
Takaichi heads to a snap election she is widely expected to win this Sunday.
Seven Toronto police officers and a former member of the service have been arrested in connection with a criminal and corruption investigation, which includes allegations of drug trafficking and conspiracy to commit murder.
The investigation was initiated following a June 2025 incident in which some officers allegedly attempted to kill a prison official at his home, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
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The probe also led to the arrest of seven civilians. Authorities found that some of the officers allegedly trafficked fentanyl and cannabis.
“No corner of society is immune from the reach of organised crime, but when organised crime penetrates the Toronto Police Service the harm goes far beyond the immediate wrongdoing,” said police Chief Myron Demkiw.
The seven officers who were arrested are now suspended, Demkiw said. He added that he would be seeking to suspend them without pay “where appropriate”.
At an expansive press conference on Thursday, Deputy Chief Ryan Hogan shared the surveillance footage of the incident in which three masked men armed with a handgun appeared at the corrections official’s home and rammed a police vehicle that was in the driveway.
Of the seven civilians arrested, three are accused of plotting to kill the corrections manager at his home.
The other four civilians have been charged with alleged links to international organised crime.
Some of these individuals allegedly used bribes to get private information from police as part of an extortion plot, officials said.
“This is a deeply disappointing and sad day for policing,” York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween said. “And it shows the insidious and corrosive nature of organised crime.”
More than 400 officers, including from York, Toronto and the Ontario Provincial Police, were involved in the investigation, York Deputy Chief Ryan Hogan said at the press conference.
Police chief Demkiw said he had not been asked to resign, in light of the internal corruption, but acknowledged the distrust the situation caused.
On February 4, a coalition of 46 civic and religious organizations launched the “One Korea National Alliance,” revealing plans to create a radio station aimed at North Korean listeners.
The alliance, led by Kenneth Bae—a Korean-American missionary detained in North Korea for over two years—held its inaugural ceremony at Seoul’s Press Center. The group announced a fundraising campaign to establish “Korea Link” radio broadcasting, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
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Bae told media that “the target of unification is not the North Korean government but the North Korean people,” adding that “unification is not just an option for North Koreans but their only way out,” Asia Economy reported.
Bae said frequencies have been secured, with plans to begin shortwave broadcasting and later expand to medium-wave transmission.
Bae was detained in November 2012 and sentenced to 15 years hard labor in April 2013 for “anti-state hostile crimes” before his release in November 2014 through U.S.-North Korea negotiations.
Co-chair Jang Man-soon of the Committee for Ten Million Separated Families warned against recent “two-state theory” discussions, saying that “the two-state theory risks institutionalizing division” and calling unification “a shared duty we must fulfill together before the constitution and history.”
Former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho attended and proposed “launching a unification movement with 2030 as the target.”
A massive new release of emails and documents from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation has exposed troubling communications and revived intense scrutiny of his network.
The files include vulgar remarks likening women to seafood, controversial statements from associates, and further details on his interactions with prominent figures, fueling public debate over the case, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
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A major release of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation has made public millions of pages of emails and correspondence, exposing previously unseen vulgar and offensive communications and refocusing attention on the convicted sex offender’s extensive network. The files, disclosed by the U.S. Justice Department, have rapidly circulated online, prompting responses from several named individuals and intensifying debate over the full scope of Epstein’s activities and associations.
Explicit and offensive email content
Among the most jarring revelations are explicit emails authored by Epstein. In a 2013 message to former French diplomat Olivier Colom, Epstein wrote, “On my island in the Caribbean, with an aquarium full of girls.” In another email, he crudely stated, “They’re like shrimp … You throw away the head and keep the body.” Other emails reference disturbing activities, including one from 2002 discussing a “treasure hunt for girls on the island” and a separate, undated email using racial slurs and cryptic language about a “snipe hunt.”
Reactions from named individuals
The document dump has forced several high-profile figures to address their past connections. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, referenced in allegations concerning relationships with “Russian girls,” stated that associating with Epstein was “foolish” and expressed regret. Author Deepak Chopra, whose email to Epstein included the line “God is a construct. Cute girls are real,” denied any wrongdoing, asserting his contact was “limited and unrelated to abusive activity.” The files also include an email from British entrepreneur Nicole Junkermann allegedly asking Epstein, “Will you have a baby with me?”
Broader network and ongoing fallout
The documents reiterate Epstein’s links to a long list of powerful individuals, including politicians, royalty, and celebrities. However, the FBI has previously stated it found no evidence of a so-called “client list” and maintains that Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Despite this, victims’ advocates argue the latest release is incomplete, leaving vital questions unanswered and failing to provide full accountability for the network that enabled his crimes for decades. The disclosure ensures the Epstein case remains a potent symbol of impunity, power, and exploitation.
Bitcoin spirals toward $65,000, heading to worst one-day drawdown since FTX blowup
Analyst points to the 200-day moving average — currently around $58,000 to $60,000 — as a potential support level to watch.
Feb 5, 2026, 8:00 p.m.
Bitcoin BTC$71,091.27 tumbled below $66,000 during early afternoon U.S. hours as this week’s crypto selloff accelerated into a bloodbath on Thursday.
The largest cryptocurrency fell more than 10% over the past 24 hours to a session low of $65,156, according to CoinDesk data, the weakest level since October 2024 and below the 2021 peak.
Feb. 5 could be one of the worst days in bitcoin’s history. BTC is on track to suffer its steepest one-day drawdown — 10.5% since midnight UTC at current prices — since Nov. 8, 2022, when the collapse of crypto exchange FTX sent BTC below $16,000 after a 14.3% drop on the day.
Crypto wasn’t the only asset class under relentless selling pressure. Silver also plunged 15% during the day, and is now almost 40% below its record high just a week ago. Gold also fell more than 2.8% to $4,820, but that selloff wasn’t as bad as silver. The precious metal is now trading about 15% below its record last week.
Software stocks, often moving in lockstep with bitcoin, continued to selloff, with the thematic iShares Expanded Tech-Software ETF (IGV) declining more than 3% and down 24% year to date. The S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq were also 1% lower.
Crypto stocks weren’t spared either. Coinbase (COIN), Galaxy (GLXY), Strategy MSTR) and BitMine (BMNR) tumbled more than 10%, while several crypto miners, including Bitfarms (BITF), CleanSpark (CLSK), Hut 8 (HUT), and Mara (MARA), saw similar losses.
“One big factor is just very thin liquidity,” said Adrian Fritz, chief investment strategist at 21shares. “If there is a bit of a sell pressure, it usually triggers a lot of liquidations.”
In a fragile market environment with only a few buy and sell orders to cushion trades, even modest sell-offs can trigger a large price reaction, in turn triggering further liquidations.
While some have said the worst is over for weeks now, Fritz believes otherwise.
“There’s still no signal that we bottomed out. I think it’s too early. There’s no confirmed turnaround,” he said.
He points to the 200-moving-day average — currently around $58,000 to $60,000 — as a key support level to watch. That level also aligns with bitcoin’s “realized price,” or the average cost basis of all bitcoin holders, which he believes could serve as a strong, multi-year support.
Bitcoin’s performance could seem minor compared to the brutal selloff in altcoins.
Almost all CoinDesk index prices, including major tokens and memecoins, are down by more than 10% over the last 24 hours.
Crypto price as of 6:29 pm UTC (CoinDesk data)
XRP, which fell 19% over the same 24-hour period, underperformed most other large-cap cryptos.
While Fritz said he believes there’s no specific trigger that puts extra pressure on the token, he said that “from a technical point of view, there’s not a lot of support levels for XRP.”
