US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the White House has prepared a large package of sanctions against Russia. And his fate will entirely depend on the progress of peace negotiations with Ukraine, Reuters reports . “We have prepared the largest package of sanctions that has ever been applied against a large economy, and its introduction is directly tied to progress at the negotiating table,” the head of the Ministry of Finance emphasized.

The Empress Eugenie's crown was found lying on the ground near the crime scene. During the robbery, the thieves stepped on it in a hurry, so they did not return for it. The crown was badly damaged, but the Louvre said that they would be able to restore the historical relic. The main structure of the crown was subject to deformation. But the decorative elements were practically not damaged. Of the eight golden eagles, only one is missing.

An advertisement for Jet2holidays with the words “Nothing beats a Jet2holidays” went viral on TikTok in the summer of 2025. People laughed at a silly video about a pleasant vacation and posted videos with the opposite idea: their boat capsizing or a monkey on the beach stealing sunglasses. However, unsuccessful advertising became “marketing gold” for the company. Details are in the material “Cold” .

Russia's expenses on waging the war in Ukraine turned out to be significantly higher than the Russian government claims. In 2025 alone, they accounted for almost 10% of the country's GDP, reports the German Federal Intelligence Service.

The Association of Consumers of Russia appealed to the Presidential Administration. They asked not to give regional authorities the authority to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes, vapes and liquids for them, Vedomosti reported . Rules of trade." The official letter said regional bans on so-called electronic nicotine delivery systems could lead to a growing illicit market.

Hundreds of people were injured after record snowfalls hit northern Japan. In total, abnormal bad weather affected 15 prefectures, in which rescuers have to dig out dozens of houses from under the snow, AP News reports . Aomori Prefecture was hit hardest, where about 1,700 homes were left without electricity. Most of the railway lines, covered with snow, did not work. Some roads were temporarily blocked. At the same time, bad weather may intensify in the near future.

NBC host Tom Liamas asked US President Donald Trump whether he would seek a third presidential term. Trump did not give a direct answer, although he said it would be “interesting.” "Don't know. That would be interesting. But wouldn't it be terrible if I agreed with you, if I gave you the answer you're looking for? It would make life a lot less exciting... I'm doing this for one reason only: to make America great again, and that's what we're doing," Trump said.

Authorities in the Japanese city of Fujiyoshida, located next to Mount Fuji, have canceled the cherry blossom festival in 2026, the BBC reported . The city motivated its decision by the fact that a sharp increase in the number of tourists would be an unbearable burden for local residents. Due to the large number of guests in the city, traffic jams form and more garbage appears. In addition, some residents have complained about tourists defecating in private yards.

A Moscow schoolgirl fell from a tenth-floor window, but survived because she fell into a snowdrift. The Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper reported this. According to journalists, the incident occurred on Wednesday, February 4, at about 16:00 on Verkhniye Polya Street in the southeast of the capital. Eyewitnesses told the newspaper that a 16-year-old girl in a sweater and leggings fell out of the window and fell into a snowdrift.

In the Russian civil service, trends of gross violations have emerged, including the admission of faulty aircraft to flights. This was stated by the head of the State Aviation Supervision Authority Vladimir Kovalsky at the National Aviation Infrastructure Salon. A video of the performance was published by the Aviatorschina telegram channel. Kovalsky explained that the problem is widespread and concerns the entire aviation industry, and not isolated cases.

A court in Kazakhstan refused to grant political asylum to former Russian serviceman and participant in the invasion of Ukraine Evgeny Korobov, the BBC Russian Service reports , citing a statement by Artur Alkhastov, a lawyer at the Kazakhstan Bureau for Human Rights. The publication recalls that in court Korobov challenged the corresponding refusal previously received from the Department of Employment and Social Protection of Astana.

During the annual National Prayer Breakfast, US President Donald Trump said that America has almost achieved peace between Russia and Ukraine. A broadcast of his speech is available on the White House YouTube channel. “We are working hard to end this war. We're very close to it, we're almost there," Trump said. After the completion of trilateral negotiations in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff also shared optimism.

International banks' economic models do not include protection against climate-related risks. Governments and financial authorities are also ignoring the likely impact of widespread droughts, tsunamis and earthquakes, The Guardian reports . At the same time, the scale of natural disasters by 2070 may increase significantly against the backdrop of global warming.

The creator of the clothing brands “Nate, wear” and N*agent, Yana Koretskaya, accused her stepfather, Denis Zavyalov, a lighting designer working at the Levendal Theater in St. Petersburg, of sexually abusing her when she was a minor. She published a corresponding video message on her Instagram page. “I was a victim of a pedophile and it ruined my life.

The largest hotel chains in Russia have refused to cooperate with the Yandex.Travel aggregator due to the increase in commission, the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RST) reported . Among these chains were Azimut Hotels, Cosmos Hotel Group, Mantera Group, Alean Collection, Accor, Russian Seasons, Atelika and Cronwell Group. The reason was that from February 1, Yandex.Travel increased the base commission from 15% to 17%.