the DON JONES INDEX…
	GAINS POSTED in GREEN LOSSES POSTED in RED 2/13/26… 15,785.82 1/30/26… 15,758.86 6/27/13... 15,000.00
(THE DOW JONES INDEX: 2/13/26... 49.451.98; 2/06/26... 48,908.72; 6/27/13… 15,000.00)

LESSON for FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13th, 2026 – “ABU DHABI, ABU DABI, OBA wanna BOBBY DADDY, ABBA DABBA DOBBY BABA DADDY BABADOO say the MONKEYS at the ZOO!”

The gumment’s up and running again (at least for the weekend); Grammies, Superbowl and Abraham Lincoln’s (official) birthday are done with Valentines’ Day tomorrow, Mardi Gras, Chinese New Year, Ramadan and the (divided) President’s Day upcoming in a still-divided country... so it’s time to talk about monkeys.

And money.

Fake monkeys, first – after President Donald Trump survived yet another cacaclysm... claiming innocence and blaming an unnamed “staffer” for posting an AI doctored portrait of predecessor Barack Hussein Obama and his wife, Michelle, gunkied up as a pair of monkeys. Or maybe apes, to elevate them to a higher state of primate-cy. Djonald UnTailed refused to apologize, but did take the portraits down after twelve hours and millions, if not billions of views... whether on Truth Social, other social media sites or, once the news flourished, broadcast and cable television news programs.

Media monkeys, too... the Obamonkeys, pimp chimps, banana-eatin’ fools and dupes, the spiders, baboons and the rhesus... Jeezus! Onscreen and in song and... because while POTUS wasn’t trolling his still-younger and increasingly more popular ancestral sovereigns, he – or to be exact, his family, were making money, fist over claw, swapping the power of his Presidency with the gnomes of Abu Dhabi for a barrel of... well... money.

Sort of – as some men and monkeys account crypto (root: that which is mysterious or hidden) in the form of bitcoins, perhaps even named after him, as makes a man, woman or ape want to sing. Just as iconic girrrilla Helen Kane did over a century ago or, rather, her altered ego Betty Boop warbled a tale of tailed creatures in the jungle and tailless beings in the United Arab Emirates or the United States – as, children sing a variation (somewhat cleaned up as regards ethnography and sexology), begins like this...

"Aba, daba, daba, daba... daba, daba, daba…

"Say the monkeys in the zoo…”

Now these words belong to later versions, popular in kindergartens, and on playgrounds, but the gist’s the same... Miss Kane’s monkey fell in love with a chimpanzee (which was a sort of miscegenatious outraging for 1918) – rather like Team Trump has grown enamoured of crypto. Along in June, came a big baboon (think Tahnoon, below) who married them and sent them on a multi-billion dirhan aba daba honeymoon. (See lyrics as ATTACHMENT ONE, below). The “aba dabas” weren’t referential to Abu Dhabi nor the Emirates... which fact, they didn’t come into being until 1892 but... as Bad Bunny advised last Sunday, if you don’t understand the words, just dance.

Now... that money.

Real money (based upon things people buy and sell, like food, cars, holiday candies and oil). Skimmed-off money, as on Wall Street. And virtual (don’t call it fake) money... like crypto.

The most recent wealth and income findings find an economy deeply divided... while the Emirati average earnings, while still among the highest in the world, are only about half that of the united states. Nominal gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is the total value of a country’s finished goods and services (gross domestic product) divided by its total population (per capita). Monaco, with its tax shelter laws and aristocratic (if small) population is the wealthiest, South Sudan the poorest. The United States ranks 11^th with a per capita gdp of $89,500, the Emirates rank 30^th at $51,348. (ATTACHMENT “A”) This, however, cloaks a massive inequality between the born and bred natives and the migrant workers who, by some accounts, number 80 to 90 percent of the population. The Wiki analysis of Emirate economy (ATTACHMENT “B” – see website for footnotes) found that skilled carpenters at the site earned £4.34 a day, and labourers earned £2.84.[73] “According to a BBC investigation and a Human Rights Watch report, the workers were housed in abysmal conditions, and worked long hours for low pay.[78][79][80] During construction, only one construction-related death was reported.[81] However, workplace injuries and fatalities in the UAE are "poorly documented", according to Human Rights Watch.[78]

The Emirates, the monkeypinchers, poxxies, President and crypto crooks conjoined back at the dawning of Trump 2.0 when his cryptocurrency firm, World Liberty Financial, sold a $500 million stake to a member of the Emirati royal family, according to the Wall Street Journal.

According to the Journal, which reviewed undisclosed corporate documents, a firm associated with Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, an Abu Dhabi royal who operates an enormous state investment fund, purchased a 49% stake in World Liberty, which is co-owned by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and his family, just four days before the Trump administration swept into office.

“Months later, the Trump administration agreed to supply the UAE with highly coveted American-made AI chips despite the prior administration’s concern that they may fall into the hands of the Chinese.”

Peter Wildeford, the head of policy at the AI Policy Network, a nonpartisan advocacy group, warned that: “If China gets their hands on these chips at scale, they would be able to launch cyberattacks against the U.S., they could build autonomous weapons that could find and sink our Navy ships – they could close the military technology gap that’s currently keeping us safe,” he said.

David Wachsman, a spokesperson for World Liberty Financial, acknowledged the existence of the deal in a statement to ABC News, but insisted that “neither President Trump nor Steve Witkoff had any involvement whatsoever in this transaction” and that “any claim that this deal had anything to do with the Administration’s actions on chips is 100% false.”

Congressional Democrats leapt at new details in the report, characterizing the transaction as further evidence of alleged pay-for-play. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., alleged “mind blowing corruption,” in a post to X.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., issued a statement calling the deal “corruption, plain and simple.”

“Foreign countries are bribing our president to sell out the American people,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., claimed in a post to X.

David Warrington, the White House counsel, told ABC News in a statement (Feb. 2, ATTACHMENT THREE) that "the President has no involvement in business deals that would implicate his constitutional responsibilities," and that "President Trump performs his constitutional duties in an ethically sound manner and to suggest so otherwise is either ill-informed or malicious."

World Liberty has emerged as perhaps the most lucrative of the Trump family's various business ventures, either in cryptocurrency or real estate. ABC News reported last year that the Trump family secured a roughly $5 billion windfall when trading of World Liberty’s digital token opened.

According to the Journal, Shiekh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, an Abu Dhabi royal who operates an enormous state investment fund, purchased a 49% stake in World Liberty.

Tahnoon, who is the brother of UAE president – Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan – and also serves as MGX's chairman, agreed to pay half of his investment in World Liberty up front. Based on the ownership structure of the company at the time, that meant a payment of as much as $187 million into the Trump family's coffers on the eve of his return to office.

The Trump-friendly NY Post (2/2, ATTACHMENT FOUR) numbered the numbers of the deal as “500,000 of the most advanced AI chips each year – a sharp reversal from Biden-era export curbs,” according to The Wall Street Journal, and “the equivalent of more than two Hoover Dams worth of power.”

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan – “a bearded, wiry man almost never seen without his signature dark sunglasses” (see a picture of Tahnoon here) – entered into the deal with the Trump family to purchase a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, The Journal reported, citing company documents and sources.

The deal “raised questions around whether the deal violates the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which blocks the president from receiving profits from foreign governments through his businesses,” the Journal noted.

Tahnoon’s MGX is also involved in the new TikTok US joint venture and Stargate, “a $500 billion data center project involving OpenAI and SoftBank that Trump unveiled on his first full day in office.”

The Post added that “a few weeks before the UAE chips deal was announced in May, World Liberty CEO Zach Witkoff – Steve Witkoff’s son – announced that MGX, another Tahnoon-backed company, would use World Liberty’s stablecoin to complete a $2 billion investment in crypto dealers Binance.”

In October 2025, Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who had pleaded guilty to violating anti-money laundering rules. People close to UAE royals had been pressuring the Trump administration to pardon Zhao, the Journal reported.

New research released by The Blockchain Center Abu Dhabi finds that the UAE is moving from blockchain experimentation to regulated, large-scale deployment across finance, governance, and public-sector efficiency. (Feb. 9^th, ATTACHMENT FIVE)

Blockchain is described, by Binance, as a “national economic infrastructure, comparing its trajectory to other foundational technologies that reshaped economies (which) highlights regulated deployments across real-world asset tokenization, stablecoins and AED-backed tokenized deposits, payments and wholesale settlement platforms, and blockchain-powered trade, logistics, and government services.”

“The UAE as a global benchmark for moving blockchain from promise to production, showing what becomes possible when regulation, capital, and ecosystem coordination reinforce each other. The shift to real deployments becomes practical when there’s a market structure that has clear rules, credible supervision, and institutional participation that make blockchain systems dependable enough to support real economic activity at national scale, and relevant enough to compete globally.”

Pardoned crypto crook Changpeng “CZ” Zhao (who pleaded guilty in 2023 to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program... Forbes, Feb. 10^th, ATTACHMENT SIX) now holds “about 87% of USD1, the stablecoin issued by a Trump family crypto venture” (roughly $4.7 billion of the $5.4 billion total supply) — “a greater concentration than any other major stablecoin has at a single exchange,” according to a Forbes analysis of data from Arkham Intel, a blockchain analytics platform.

This lunatic lament underscores “the depth of the financial relationship between Binance and World Liberty Financial, which already has added an estimated $1 billion to President Donald Trump’s net worth.”

Binance denied any connection between Zhao’s pardon and Binance’s promotions of USD1; Zhao’s attorney called the pardon an effort to “rectify an injustice;” and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump has never and will never engage in conflicts of interest – without specifying which Trump.

“Any implication that Binance can exert control or influence over World Liberty Financial is patently false,” Wachsman told Forbes.

In October 2024, the Trumps announced the launch of World Liberty, which they called a DeFi platform. DeFi is shorthand for decentralized finance (see Forbes, Attachment Twelve below); “a term those in the crypto industry use to refer to taking traditional banking activities like lending and borrowing and putting them on the blockchain.”

World Liberty Financial, which launched in September 2024, was “inspired by the vision of Donald J. Trump” and lists him as its co-founder emeritus, alongside co-founders Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Barron Trump... Father “reported making $57.4 million from World Liberty Financial on his latest financial disclosure, which appears to cover the 12 months ending in December 2024, income he receives through the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust. He is its sole donor and beneficiary, while Donald Trump Jr. serves as the trustee.” Erik, presumably, sticks to his office in the janitors’ closet.

Corey Frayer, a former senior adviser on crypto markets to the SEC chair during the Biden administration, told Forbes the concentration “suggests that USD1 was never meant to be a real stablecoin,” but just a way to funnel money to Trump. “Frayer noted that Binance previously has been charged with wash-trading through the Zhao-owned Sigma Chain AG, adding, “We actually don’t know who controls those other accounts.” Binance's attorneys denied the wash-trading allegations in a court filing, and Trump’s SEC dropped the case in May 2025.”

In what Forbes called a “surprising fact”, Binance’s U.S. affiliate, Binance US, holds just $1,119 of USD1, according to Arkham Intel. That so little USD1 is held in Binance’s U.S. company “strongly suggests” it’s mostly foreign entities making these deals with World Liberty, Frayer said.

While washing money for the American President, the royal Emirates are also trying to position themselves as dealmakers in probably the most egregious conflicts in the world (possibly short of the Gaza/Israeli/Iranian scuffles)... hosting negotiations between Ukraine and Russia with Euromaiden (ATTACHMENT SEVEN. If inset added - , Feb. 7^th) calling the Abu Dhabi doodling “the plumbing beneath peace: the pipes, valves, and pressure gauges without which a ceasefire cannot function, but which do not themselves decide the shape of the house,” and adding that the distinction matters “because plumbing can work perfectly while the building above remains uninhabitable.”

Russia’s requirement Ukraine vacate territory (and Ukrainians) in parts of the Donetsk Oblast it still controls before peace talks even begin “tells us how far the parties are from a political settlement.” But the Emirati hosts did broker a prisoner exchange of 157 from and to each side, leading US envoy and crypto creeper Steve (the father) Witkoff to describe this as flowing from “constructive” discussions focused on “conditions for a durable peace”.

Also on the table is the fate of the The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, “both a strategic infrastructure and a latent hazard” which Euromaiden called an “implementation question” which, like the prisoner exchanges, are “the mechanics of a ceasefire, not the constitutional settlement of a war.”

Euromaiden cited the potential risks and benefits to each of the parties involved... Russia, Ukraine and, through the presence of Witkoff and Jared Kushner (and Marco Rubio, on television)... but an editorial in the Gulf News (Feb. 6^th, ATTACHMENT @NINE) opined that Abu Dhabi was the only clear winner – in that the UAE has shown itself able to offer “what great powers cannot: trust, neutrality and access.”

Across decades of regional and extra-regional diplomacy, three Gulf states – Oman (see Attachment @, below), the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar - have emerged as preferred venues for high-stakes mediation. “Their rise as negotiation hubs is not accidental. Rather, it reflects a sophisticated statecraft that blends neutrality, logistical capability, diplomatic discretion, and a strategic desire to project soft power.”

“Oman’s discreet mediation between Iran and the United States, which laid the foundation for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action JCPOA, remains a defining example of regional quiet diplomacy. Qatar’s role in hosting US–Taliban negotiations and facilitating hostage-release mechanisms further demonstrated the Gulf’s capacity to step in where others cannot.

“But it is the UAE that has increasingly become the epicentre of this new diplomatic landscape. Abu Dhabi’s approach is pragmatic, coordinated, and anchored in the Emirates’ broader foreign-policy identity: a state committed to stability, global engagement, and problem-solving.”

The Gulf News listed several examples of why the Gulf States and, in particular, UAE can attract diplomats. In a world where diplomatic trust is diminishing, Abu Dhabi offers a venue where trust can be cautiously rebuilt.

And with foreign diplomats, like tourists, exempted from some of the harsher rules and regulations that residents live under (see Attachment @, below), Abu Dhabi is a comfortable place to kick back and enjoy all the amenities that gumment monies can provide, while @

WOOD TV (Feb. 4^th, ATTACHMENT TEN) teamed up with the A.P.’s Kamila Hrabchuk to present a docudrama on the Abu Dhabi diplomonkeys with a remotely lurking SecState Marco saying that the good news was that the Trump administration... glory Be to He... “has made great progress on negotiations over the past year” but the bad news is that “the items that remain (like Putin’s imperialist designs and egocentric delusions) are the most difficult ones.’

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow wasn’t planning to comment on their results, adding that “the doors for a peaceful settlement are open,” but that Moscow will proceed with its military campaign until Kyiv meets its demands,” while continuing to bomb and drone the energy infrastructure and helping Ukrainians to freeze to death in the subzero winter that has afflicted all of Europe, like America. Woodie Kamila also noted that expiration of the last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States means that Trump and Putin could extend its terms, renogiate or begin a new nuclear arms race.

But if the America’s danger of war with Russia is heightening over the expired treaty, some also believe that the Trump and Witkoff family crypto crookery could help China develop new AI weapons to destroy the both.

While Trump and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan revealed plans to build the largest group of artificial intelligence data centres outside the US. (Financial Times, ATTACHMENT ELEVEN)

A planned 10sq mile UAE-US AI campus in Abu Dhabi is expected to have 5GW of data centre power — equivalent to more than 2mn of AI chipmaker Nvidia’s latest generation of GB200 chips which, the Emirates desire, Trump will provide – despite the risk of diversion of even one chip to China.

“Any claim that this deal had anything to do with the administration’s actions on chips is 100 per cent false. The leftwing media is dishonestly pushing baseless innuendo in an effort to deceive the public and smear our company,” WLF spokesman Wachsman said.

But after “spy sheikh” Tahnoon received 49% in equity in World Liberty Financial for half a billion dollars, after which Eric Trump dangled nuggets and tidbits before the financial media – boasting: “I’m not going to get to who the investors are, but we’ve got some pretty meaningful investors...” aheh heh! (Fortune, Feb. 2, ATTACHMENT TWELVE)

“Any claim that this deal had anything to do with the administration’s actions on chips is 100% false,” said a spokesperson for World Liberty Financial. “The idea that, when raising capital, a privately held American company (even, presumably, one that manufactures and markets sensitive and dangerous military chip technology) should be held to some unique standard that no other similar company would be held is both ridiculous and un-American.”

Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for the White House when Levitt’s out to lunch, said: “President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children. There are no conflicts of interest...” even after World Liberty’s bitcoins “

And on Tuesday, after the Abu Dhabi meetings and prisoner swap, the Presidential Prayer Team (Attachment Thirteen) called upon God to grant wisdom to Envoy Witkoff and other U.S. negotiators “engaging with” the presumably demonic “foreign representatives” and for President Trump to be “prudent in his decisions and actions regarding peace agreements” (which is not exactly a vote of confidence for the confidence man)..

Religion... specifically the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament central to Judaism, Islam and Christianity and all of the factions within, therein, has raised its snout in a burgeoning dispute between the Sunni Moslem Emirates and (also) Sunni Saudis.

Prominent Saudi academic Ahmed bin Othman al-Tuwaijri has accused the UAE of “throwing itself into the arms of Zionism" and functioning as "Israel's Trojan horse in the Arab world" in order to weaken Saudi Arabia and emerge as (the Sunni) dominant regional power,” as opposed to the traditional factional enemy of Rihadh, Iran, and external nemeses in Tel Aviv, Washington and Rome.

In a scathing column published in the Saudi newspaper Al Jazirah and reported in the Middle East Eye of Jan. 23^rd (ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN), Tuwaijri accused leaders in the oil-rich emirate of being "blinded" by "hatred and jealousy" and of “turning against the kingdom despite decades of Saudi support.”

Framing the emirate's actions as both ideological and existential threats, “Tuwaijri said that the UAE, which is governed by Mohammed bin Zayed - a staunch opponent of political Islam - had collaborated with Israel to the detriment of Arab interests.”

"This is a betrayal of God, His Messenger, and the entire nation, and it cannot be ignored."

'CHAOS IN SUDAN' AND 'VERMIN' IN TUNISIA

In the article, Tuwaijri also condemned the UAE over the fragmentation of Libya, where two rival governments exist, and the country has been mired in more than a decade of civil war. He accused Abu Dhabi of seeking to splinter the country and support factions in the country's east with "money and weapons".

He further accused the UAE of "spreading chaos in Sudan" by arming the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with money and weapons and using "secret air bridges" to support them.

Turning to North Africa, Tuwaijri alleged that the UAE had "infiltrated Tunisia like vermin" and undermined Tunisian aspirations for freedom and justice following the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.

The downward spiral in ties between the two Gulf neighbours has spread beyond the Arab world, with signs that Saudi Arabia is courting Pakistan for military partnerships, and the UAE is inching closer to Islamabad's arch-rival India.

@BEGIN A14

IN the NEWS: FEBRUARY 6^th, 2026 to FEBRUARY 12^th, 2026

Friday, February 6, 2026

Dow: 50,115.67

Authorities say Nancy Guthrie outlook is “dire: as they sort through tips and ransome requests... some already found fraudulent. FBI offers $50K reward. Tucson cops say “you have to have hope”, TV cop Brad Garrett says “You have to keep this case in the public eye.”

President Trump removes Truth Social video portraying the Obamas as apes, but refuses to apologize as SecPress Levitt denounces “fake outrage”. He advocates regime change in Cuba as its economy collapses, but, despite the Bay of Pigs, SecState Rubio says invasion and war “would be a mismatch.” He also offers New York a deal... he’ll unfreeze their transit money if they rename Penn Station after Himself.

With Superbowl preparations underway, Milan Winter Olympics opening ceremonies begin and the torch arrives. In the first women’s hockey match (featuring the first black Icewoman), America defeats Czechs and the curling team defeats Norway.

Saturday, February 7, 2026

Dow: Closed

New ransom demand letter sent to Tucson media, cops say it has a lot of truthful references. President Trump references the kidnapping, saying “some things” could be coming “reasonably soon.” But even Republicans are denouncing the Obama monkey AI after Dem Hakeem Jeffries calls the video “vile” and “Unhinged” while black elephant Tim Scott (R-SC@) expresses right wing outrage.

DefSec Pete Hegeth says the military is ending all relations with Harvard and cancelling its ROTC programs, saying “Harvard is woke” while “the military is not.” He also says that he will investigate other Ivy League universities.

The deep freeze moves to the Northeast as New York temps drop to -7°, heading to -20°. Winds of up to 60 mph freeze Lake Erie.

Wars continue in Ukraine, where Rusia launches 446 drones against civilian targets, knocking out power to Kyev; Trump gives Putin and Zelenskyy until July to stop fighting.

Sunday, February 8, 2026

Dow: Closed

It’s Superbowl Sunday.

Nancy Guthrie still missing after a week. Savannah and family want “proof of life”, Garrett, asked if the ransom messages are real, answers: “Maybe!” Trump spends the morning at the National Prayer Breakfast – denouncing Bad Bunny and promotes nationalization of local elections, under Himself.

And it’s Talkshow Sunday... Jonathan Karl interviews Adam Schiff who says that the President’s voting nationalization scheme is aimed at overturning the midterms if Republicans lose. The voters hate him “and his ego cannot stand another loss.”

Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York says Trump’s monkey posting was wrong and the President accuses him of “fake outrage” and reminds America that Mayor Andrew Cuomo renamed bridges after his dad. “At the end of the day I could care less about names,” Lawler says. “Work it out!”

Round Tabler regulars Donna Brazile says Trump can distract, but not destroy us, while Chris Christie says that Character is more important than the issues.

On Face the Nation, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va) says NIA’s Tulsi Gabbard’s presence at ICE raids was “Nixonian”. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Tx) defends refusal of ICE to stop masking-up beacause

Monday, February 9, 2026

Dow: 50,185.37

Seattle’s “Dark Side” defense stifles New England to win the Superbowl 29-13. Physical spectators pay thousands for the defensive struggle, boob tube proles also enjoy all the new commercials and Bad Bunny’s halftime show... in Spanish, much to the irritation of President Trump. The Wascally Wabbit is joined by Ricky Martin and Lady Gaga while, in other sports news, the Quad God dazzles in Milan Olympics, while Lindsay Vonn falls and breaks her leg... Team Fluff beats Team Ruff in the Puppy Bowl.

Deadline for Nancy Guthrie ransome deal passes as Savannah cites “an hour of desperation.” Police have no leads, no suspects and neighboring house cameras blinded by night and vegetation.

TikTok Obama monkeyshines are pulled down after twelve house, but Djonald UnAped refuses to apologize and blames an anonymous staffer for the posting.

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Dow: 50,188.14

FBI announces that a person is being investigating in the Guthrie case... not a suspect, not even a person-of-interest, just a person. Authorities still admit they have no clues as to her whereabouts.

Ghislaine Maxwell testifies before Congress and takes the Fifth time and time again until the strategy of angling for a Presidential Parson becomes apparent. Also on the hot seat is ComSec Harold Lutnick, who denounces Jeffrey now, but sailed to Little Saint James for “lunch” after his first conviction – even Republican Thomas Massie calls on him to resign. In the foreign courts, PM Keir Starmer’s top aide Mendelson@ does resign, King Charles will support probe of Andrew for leaking state secrets... in addition to other things while the Chinese dictators send human rights activist Jimmy Lai to 20 more years for advocating freedom for Taiwan.

More litigation – a pioneer ase calling for father of school shooter to be convicted of murder himself for his bad parenting, California judge redlights prior reflighting of ICE masklessness,

Where do Seahawks’ QB Sam Darnold and RB Kevin Walker go after winning the Superbowl” Why – to Disneyland of course, where they sit in whirling coffee cups while TV docs say that drinking coffee will stave off dementia. (Tea, too, but you’ll have to drink more.)

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Dow: 49,015.60

Regarding the increasingly scattered search for Nancy Guthrie, TV cop Brad Garrett concludes: “there’s something wrong with this guy” (the kidnapper) and generate “tons of leads” (so far ranging from wacko conspiracy theories to outright scams). Finally a clue manifests: two black gloves thrown by the roadside on the way to the Mexican border, leading authorities to set up a white tent in front of Guthrie’s house and Garrett to exclaim that “a nugget” might emerge.

Mystery closure of airspace around El Paso is solved and the closure is lifted... the military was testing a super and super-secret drone to shoot down incoming Chinese spy drones or weapons of terror – which turn out to be party balloons.

AyGee Pam Bondi testifies before Congress while Epstein victims, all in white, stand and stare and tell the press she should have redacted their faces instead of hiding the identities of rich and famous pedos. Then she calls traitorous Republican Rep. Massie “a failed politician with Trump Derangement symptoms” and, when angry Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt) calls her Secretary, Pam snaps back: “I am the Attorney General.”

Thursday, February 5, 2026

Dow: 49,071.56

It’s Abraham Lincoln’s real birthday. A lot of pennies and five dollar bills, too, disappear from the Dow as the January jobs report finds that, despite unemployment falling, the jobs market is “tough”. And then the Senate votes 52 – 47 to fund DHS, but because they needed sixty (and because Congress takes off tomorrow to begin a ten day President’s Day vacation) Shutdown 3.0 begins . Fed workers at ICE, associated offices and @ are ordered to work, but won’t be paid. This causes Interim ICEman Tom Homan to end Operation Metro Surge, declare victory and redeploy his unpaid migrant hunters to... somewhere...

President Trump rambles on – he resumes his War on Canada and its drugs but six Republicans block his new tariffs and he vows retaliation against traitors like Dan (“Canadian”) Bacon who will be singled out for primaries and punishments. Then he repeals the EPA climate change measures imposed by Old Goneaway Joe and proclaims himself the “King of Coal.”

EpFiles mania migrates to Auld England after photos of Randy Andy lying on top of a redacted female cuse angry mobs to depose King Charles and PM Starmer.

And it’s a fine day for the sporting crowd, Americans scoop up more medals at Winter Olympics in Milan (see list here) while a Norwegian biathelets uses his medal ceremony to apologize for cheating on his wife. And up in Seattle (pop. 800K), a million fans throng the streets during the Super Bowl victory parade.

THE DON JONES INDEX

CHART of CATEGORIES w/VALUE ADDED to EQUAL BASELINE of 15,000

(REFLECTING… approximately… DOW JONES INDEX of June 27, 2013)

Gains in indices as improved are noted in GREEN. Negative/harmful indices in RED as are their designation. (Note – some of the indices where the total went up created a realm where their value went down... and vice versa.) See a further explanation of categories HERE

ECONOMIC INDICES		(60%)
CATEGORY	VALUE	BASE	RESULTS by PERCENTAGE			SCORE		OUR SOURCES and COMMENTS
INCOME	(24%)	6/17/13 revised 1/1/22	LAST	CHANGE	NEXT	LAST WEEK	THIS WEEK	THE WEEK’S CLOSING STATS...
Wages (hrly. Per cap)	9%	1350 points	12/11/25	+1.13%	2/26	1,986.14	1,986.14	https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/average-hourly-earnings 39.30 37.17
Median Inc. (yearly)	4%	600	1/30/26	+0.07	2/13/26	1,115.72	1,116.52	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 51,626 663 688
Unempl. (BLS – in mi)	4%	600	1/30/26	+4.55%	2/26*	530.25	530.25	http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000/ 4.4 nc 4.3
Official (DC – in mi)	2%	300	1/30/26	+5.09%	2/13/26	196.81	206.82	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 7,951 566 576
Unofficl. (DC – in mi)	2%	300	1/30/26	+3.56%	2/13/26	232.48	240.76	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 14,743 236 262
Workforce Participation Number Percent	2%	300	1/30/26	+0.062% +0.046%	2/13/26	298.46	298.60	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ In 164,153 254 294 Out 103,419 559 596Total: 267,613 61.349 61.377
WP % (ycharts)*	1%	150	1/30/26	+0.16%	2/26*	150.95	150.95	https://ycharts.com/indicators/labor_force_participation_rate 62.40 nc
OUTGO	(15%)
Total Inflation	7%	1050	1/30/26	+0.3%	2/26*	924.67	924.67	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm +0.3
Food	2%	300	1/30/26	+0.7%	2/26*	260.75	260.75	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm +0.7
Gasoline	2%	300	1/30/26	-0.5%	2/26*	256.39	256.39	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm -0.5
Medical Costs	2%	300	1/30/26	+0.4%	2/26*	273.10	273.10	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm +0.4
Shelter	2%	300	1/30/26	+0.4%	2/26*	240.63	240.63	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm +0.4
WEALTH
Dow Jones Index	2%	300	1/30/26	-0.33%	2/13/26	378.55	379.82	https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/index/ 49,071.56 8.908.72
Home (Sales) (Valuation)	1% 1%	150 150	1/30/26	+5.33% +1.19%	2/13/26	127.62 264.86	134.42 268.00	`https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics` Sales (M): 4.13 4.35 Valuations (K): 409.2 404.4
Millionaires (New Category)	1%	150	1/30/26	+0.075%	2/13/26	136.25	136.35	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 24,011 029 041
Paupers (New Category)	1%	150	1/30/26	+0.041%	2/13/26	135.36	135.42	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 36,702 717 727

GOVERNMENT	(10%)
Revenue (trilns.)	2%	300	1/30/26	+0.17%	2/13/26	467.43	468.48	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 5,356 365 371
Expenditures (tr.)	2%	300	1/30/26	+0.06%	2/13/26	293.45	293.28	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 7,072 076 079
National Debt tr.)	3%	450	1/30/26	+0.03%	2/13/26	349.82	349.93	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 38,670 658 683
Aggregate Debt (tr.)	3%	450	1/30/26	+0.12%	2/13/26	373.84	373.40	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 106,401 526 611

TRADE	(5%)
Foreign Debt (tr.)	2%	300	1/30/26	+1.03%	2/13/26	258.38	255.71	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 9,380 477 488
Exports (in billions)	1%	150	1/30/26	-3.28%	2/26*	181.79	181.79	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 292.1
Imports (in billions))	1%	150	1/30/26	+5.02%	2/26*	147.87	147.87	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 348.9
Trade Surplus/Deficit (blns.)	1%	150	1/30/26	-48.24%	2/26*	249.66	249.66	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 56.8
								The December 2025 release for U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services originally scheduled for February 5, 2026 has been rescheduled for release on February 19, 2026. For more information, see the Economic Indicators Release Schedule.
ACTS of MAN	(12%)							*reporting impacted by last shutdown and, potentially, by the next.
World Affairs	3%	450	1/30/26	+0.2%	2/13/26	470.55	471.49	Virtuous Euros use AI apps to identify US products in groceries. China, in advance of the Year of the Fire Horse, display 29 baby pandas for the world to coo over. Japanese conservatives sweep elections. Devastating flooding in Morocco.
War and terrorism	2%	300	1/30/26	-0.1%	2/13/26	285.73	285.44	Gulf states accuse Israel of ethnic cleansing in West Bank. Acting ICE Director Ted Lyons defends Noem, Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Tx suggests ICE should stay at the border, not in blue cities. Modest assassin fails in bid to kill... Veep Vance. Buddhist monks and wannabees conclude 108 day peace march in DC.
Politics	3%	450	1/30/26	nc	2/13/26	458.38	458.38	Russia launches 446 drones against Ukrainian power grid as spymaster assassinated outside Moscow apt. Trump tells Putin and Zelenskyy to make peace by July or he’ll make a face, More red states join Louisiana, Texas and Alabama in requiring Ten Commandments be posted in schools.
Economics	3%	450	1/30/26	-0.1%	2/13/26	432.22	431.79	America prepares for Shutdown 3.0. NY nurses’ strike ends after two days but SF teacher’s walkout continues. CEO shuffling in NFL, WashPost and Kroger. Tax Foundation says Trump tariffs cost Joneses avg. $1,000 per family. Britney Spears sells catalog for “nine figures”.
Crime	1%	150	1/30/26	-0.2%	2/13/26	207.25	206.84	Multiple murders in Florida gated community. Teen shooter kills 9, wounds many more in Summerbrook, B.C. Canada (as Trump says he told you so); pre-teen school shootings in Fall River, MA and Atlanta. Falcons’ @ accused of domestic violence against WNBA@. Three disabled men die in transport trunk.
ACTS of GOD	(6%)
Environment/Weather	3%	450	1/30/26	-0.1%	2/13/26	281.95	280.82	Trump cancels environmental regulations imposed by predcessors – hails himself as the King of Coal. Weird weather finds NY at minus 3° while KC swelters at 72° as temperatures finally will moderate next week.
Disasters	3%	450	1/30/26	-0.2%	2/13/26	462.64	460.79	Pilot makes miracle landing in Gainesville, GA. Hero dog “Lassie” leads police to missing boy. USA Today reports prisoners freezing to death in their cells.
LIFESTYLE/JUSTICE INDEX		(15%)						WNBA player Rickea Jackson's attorneys filed a court notice Tuesday in Miami-Dade (Florida) County saying that she is "willing to testify" against Atlanta Falcons player James Pearce Jr. if the domestic violence charges against him go to trial, according to a document.
Science, Tech, Education	4%	600	1/30/26	-0.1%	2/13/26	614.91	614.30	DoD/DoW Sec. Hegseth cancels all military relationships with “woke” Harvard as first step to shut down all the Ivies. Local school districts seek out and purge bus drivers with old DUI convictions.
Equality (econ/social)	4%	600	1/30/26	-0.2%	2/13/26	673.72	672.37	Disciples and detractors debate Bad Bunny’s Superbowl halftime show. Gay pride flag ripped away from Stonewall in New York DHS plans migrant detention facility in Social Circle, GA after alien truck driver kills 4 in @ crash. “Feeding America” launches new charity campaign as SNAP ends.
Health	4%	600	1/30/26	-0.2%	2/13/26	417.55	416.71	POTUS launches Trump RX to sell pills while Wegovy sues generics to protext its high prices. New York Times investigation finds Americans insufficiently concerned with their parents’ health.
Freedom and Justice	3%	450	1/30/26	+0.1%	2/13/26	482.08	482.56	Djonald DeFeated by courts in @, Congress votes down his Canadian tariffs and grand jury refuses to indict “traitor” Sen. Kelly and the rest of that cabal. Depressed teen sues Meta for “addictive” apps. Lively/Baldoni settlement collapses – he wants $400M for his hurt feelings, so it’s going to a jury.
CULTURAL and MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS			(6%)
Cultural incidents	3%	450	1/30/26	+0.2%	2/13/26	578.60	579.76	Seattle defeats New England in the Superbowl (analyst Donny Deutsch) says ratings down from 2025) while the Milan Olympics begin - US racks up @ medals so far. MLB spring training opens. “Send Help” wins weak $10M week Box office; “Melania” slides down to 9^th place. RIP: 93 year old woman freezes to death in @ nursing home. Janes Van der Beek (Dawson’s Creek), Bud Cort (“Harold and Maude”), Brad Arnold (“Three Doors Down”), MLB’s Terence Gore, NFL’s Tracy Scoggins and Sonny Jurgensen; 49ers Kevin White shot, survives.
Miscellaneous incidents	4%	450	1/30/26	+0.1%	2/13/26	547.26	547.81	Kid Rock alternate Superbowl Halftme Show deemed a failure. “Dementia Village” created in @.

The Don Jones Index for the week of January 30^th through February 5^th , 2026 was UP 26.96 points

The Don Jones Index is sponsored by the Coalition for a New Consensus: retired Congressman and Independent Presidential candidate Jack “Catfish” Parnell, Chairman; Brian Doohan, Administrator. The CNC denies, emphatically, allegations that the organization, as well as any of its officers (including former Congressman Parnell, environmentalist/America-Firster Austin Tillerman and cosmetics CEO Rayna Finch) and references to Parnell’s works, “Entropy and Renaissance” and “The Coming Kill-Off” are fictitious or, at best, mere pawns in the web-serial “Black Helicopters” – and promise swift, effective legal action againth parties promulgating this and/or other such slanders.

Comments, complaints, donations (especially SUPERPAC donations) always welcome at feedme@generisis.com or: speak@donjonesindex.com.

ATTACHMENT ONE – FROM

a1 X01 FROM GENIUS

(See relevant pix here)

Aba Daba Honeymoon Lyrics

"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Said the chimpie to the monk
"Baba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Said the monkey to the chimp

All night long they'd chatter away
All day long there were happy and gay
Swinging and singing in their hunky tonky way

"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Means 'Monk, I love but you'
'Baba, daba, dab' in monkey talk
Means 'Chimp, I love you, too'

Then the big baboon one night in June
He married them and very soon
Since they came from their aba daba honeymoon

Way down in the Congoland
Lived a happy chimpanzee
She loved a monkey with long tail
(Lordy, how she loved him)

Each night he would find her there
Swinging in the coconut tree
And the monkey gay at the break of day
Loved to hear his chimpie say

"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Said the chimpie to the monk
"Baba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Said the monkey to the chimp

All night long they'd chatter away
All day long there were happy and gay
Swinging and singing in their hunky tonky way

"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Means 'Monk, I love but you'
'Baba, daba, dab' in monkey talk
Means 'Chimp, I love you, too'

One night they were made man and wife
And now they cry, "This is the life"
Since they came from their aba daba honey-

Aba, daba, daba

Aba, daba honeymoon

Soundtrack: album: Boop Boop A Doop (2004) by Helen Kane

Songs:

1. I Wanna Be Loved by You

2. That’s My Weakness Now

3. Get Out and Get Under the Moon

4. Is There Anything Wrong in That

5. Don’t Be Like That

6. Me and the Man in the Moon

7. Button Up Your Overcoat

8. I Want to Be Bad

9. Do Something

10. That’s Why I’m Happy

11. I’d Do Anything for You

12. He’s So Unusual

13. Ain’tcha

14. I Have to Have You

15. I’d Go Barefoot All Winter Long

16. Dangerous Nan McGrew

17. I Owe You

18. Thank Your Father

19. I’ve Got “It” (But It Don’t Do Me No Good)

20. Readin’, Ritin’, Rhythm

21. My Man Is on the Make

22. If I Knew You Better

23. Hug Me! Kiss Me! Love Me!

24. Aba Daba Honeymoon

Kane, Helen (1904–1966)

American actress and singer. Born Helen Schroeder in the Bronx, New York, on August 4, 1904; died in 1966.

Filmography:

Nothing but the Truth (1929); Sweetie (1929); Pointed Heels (1929); Paramount on Parade (1930); Dangerous Nan McGrew (1930); Heads Up (1930).

A vaudeville performer from the age of 17, Helen Kane made her Broadway debut in the musical A Night in Spain (1927). In 1928, her squeaky "boop-boop-a-doop" rendition of the song "I Wanna Be Loved by You," in the musical Good Boy, catapulted her to a short-lived career in early talkies. Kane was portrayed by Debbie Reynolds in the 1950 film Three Little Words (about the songwriting team of Kalmar and Ruby), in which Kane provided the off-screen singing.

"Aba Daba Honeymoon" is a show tune with lyrics by Arthur Fields and music by Walter Donovan.^[1] It was published in 1914 by Leo Feist.^[2] It is known through its chorus, "Aba daba daba daba daba daba dab, Said the chimpie to the monk; Baba daba daba daba daba daba dab, Said the monkey to the chimp."^[3] It was first performed by Ruth Roye, and first recorded in 1914 by the comic duo team of Collins & Harlan.^[4]

People also ask

What is the origin of "Aba Daba Honeymoon"?

#SillySunday "Aba Daba Honeymoon" was originally written by Arthur Fields & Walter Donovan in 1914. This version was recorded by Ray Stevens for his "Encyclopedia of Recorded Comedy Music" box set in 2012 and the music video was made for his television show "Rayality TV" in 2013.Sep 22, 2024. See: Ray Stevens - Facebook

Is "Aba Daba Honeymoon" a children's song?

So, this is one of those “kids' songs” that's not entirely a kid song. It's often sited as “Debbie Reynolds” song – she did sing it in a movie musical, but actually, it was written and published way before that in 1914. Jul 29, 2014

Aba Daba Honeymoon - Miss Nina

Who originally sang the Abadaba song?

It is known through its chorus, "Aba daba daba daba daba daba dab, Said the chimpie to the monk; Baba daba daba daba daba daba dab, Said the monkey to the chimp." It was first performed by Ruth Roye, and first recorded in 1914 by the comic duo team of Collins & Harlan.

Aba Daba Honeymoon - Wikipedia

What is the meaning behind Abadaba?

slang. a person or thing of little importance. Word origin. [perh. taken from the nonsensical refrain of a popular song “Aba Daba Honeymoon” (1904)]

Etymology of Abu Dhabi: (from Attachment “E”)

"Abu" is Arabic for father, and "Dhabi" is the Arabic word for gazelle. Abu Dhabi means "Father of Gazelle."^[14]

a2 x@

X67 X67 FROM ABC

White House faces questions over UAE royal’s investment in Trump family’s crypto firm

The controversy centers on a reported $500 million deal with an Emirati royal.

ByLucien Bruggeman and David Brennan

February 2, 2026, 10:12 AM

President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency firm, World Liberty Financial, sold a $500 million stake to a member of the Emirati royal family shortly before his inauguration last January, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, sparking concerns over a potential conflict of interest.

Months later, the Trump administration agreed to supply the UAE with highly coveted American-made AI chips despite the prior administration’s concern that they may fall into the hands of the Chinese.

“We made the deal in question because we strongly believe that it was what was best for our company as we continue to grow. The idea that, when raising capital, a privately-held American company should be held to some unique standard that no other similar company would be held is both ridiculous and un-American,” the statement continued.

David Warrington, the White House counsel, told ABC News in a statement that “the President has no involvement in business deals that would implicate his constitutional responsibilities,” and that “President Trump performs his constitutional duties in an ethically sound manner and to suggest so otherwise is either ill-informed or malicious.”

But the Journal’s report adds yet another wrinkle to the U.S. decision to sell highly coveted advanced chips to the Emiratis.

As ABC News previously reported, shortly before the chips deal was announced, a UAE-backed investment firm called MGX announced last May that it would use a digital token minted by World Liberty Financial to finance a $2 billion investment in a crypto exchange Binance, a major boon for the firm.

Trump family crypto venture tapped as part of $2B Emirati-backed investment deal

Shiekh Tahnoon, who is the brother of the UAE’s president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, also serves as MGX’s chairman.

The Biden administration declined to provide the UAE with the chips, which power some of the most sophisticated weapons on the planet, for fear they might be redirected into China.

Peter Wildeford, the head of policy at the AI Policy Network, a nonpartisan advocacy group, warned that could close the U.S.’s advantage in the AI race and compromise American security.

“If China gets their hands on these chips at scale, they would be able to launch cyberattacks against the U.S., they could build autonomous weapons that could find and sink our Navy ships – they could close the military technology gap that’s currently keeping us safe,” he said.

World Liberty has emerged as perhaps the most lucrative of the Trump family’s various business ventures, either in cryptocurrency or real estate. ABC News reported last year that the Trump family secured a roughly $5 billion windfall when trading of World Liberty’s digital token opened.

According to the Journal, Shiekh Tahnoon agreed to pay half of his investment in World Liberty up front. Based on the ownership structure of the company at the time, that meant a payment of as much as $187 million into the Trump family’s coffers on the eve of his return to office.

Ethics experts said the concept of a foreign government official secretly directing hundreds of millions of dollars to a company owned in part by the president has no known precedent – and raises a host of ethical and national security concerns.

“Maybe the President would have reached the same decision over the transfer of high techn [chips] to UAE if he wasn’t also getting money from them,” said Robert Weissman, the co-president of the advocacy group Public Citizen. “But we’ve got no way to know that, and we do know there was a lot of opposition inside the government to do exactly what he has OK’d.”

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly maintained that the president “only acts in the best interests of the American public,” and said that no conflict of interest exists in part because the president’s assets are held in a blind trust managed by his children. Typically, a blind trust would operate with an independent trustee.

“President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children,” Kelly added. “There are no conflicts of interest.”

The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Questions grow over UAE royal’s investment in Trump family’s crypto firm

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., issued a statement calling the deal “corruption, plain and simple.”

“Foreign countries are bribing our president to sell out the American people,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., claimed in a post to X.

Shortly before the chips deal was announced last May, a UAE-backed investment firm called MGX said it would use a digital token minted by World Liberty Financial to finance a $2 billion investment in a crypto exchange Binance. Tahnoon also serves as MGX’s chairman.

MGX is also one of the few companies with a major ownership stake in the new TikTok U.S. joint venture, with a 15% stake in the new entity.

ABC News’ Selina Wang contributed to this report.

A3 X64 X64 from abc

White House faces questions over UAE royal's investment in Trump family's crypto firm

The controversy centers on a reported $500 million deal with an Emirati royal.

By Lucien Bruggeman and David Brennan February 2, 2026, 10:12 AM

President Donald Trump's cryptocurrency firm, World Liberty Financial, sold a $500 million stake to a member of the Emirati royal family shortly before his inauguration last January, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, sparking concerns over a potential conflict of interest.

Months later, the Trump administration agreed to supply the UAE with highly coveted American-made AI chips despite the prior administration's concern that they may fall into the hands of the Chinese.

David Wachsman, a spokesperson for World Liberty Financial, acknowledged the existence of the deal in a statement to ABC News, but insisted that "neither President Trump nor Steve Witkoff had any involvement whatsoever in this transaction" and that "any claim that this deal had anything to do with the Administration's actions on chips is 100% false."

"We made the deal in question because we strongly believe that it was what was best for our company as we continue to grow. The idea that, when raising capital, a privately-held American company should be held to some unique standard that no other similar company would be held is both ridiculous and un-American," the statement continued.

David Warrington, the White House counsel, told ABC News in a statement that "the President has no involvement in business deals that would implicate his constitutional responsibilities," and that "President Trump performs his constitutional duties in an ethically sound manner and to suggest so otherwise is either ill-informed or malicious."

But the Journal's report adds yet another wrinkle to the U.S. decision to sell highly coveted advanced chips to the Emiratis.

Trump family crypto venture tapped as part of $2B Emirati-backed investment deal

Shiekh Tahnoon, who is the brother of the UAE's president, also serves as MGX's chairman.

The Biden administration declined to provide the UAE with the chips, which power some of the most sophisticated weapons on the planet, for fear they might be redirected into China.

Peter Wildeford, the head of policy at the AI Policy Network, a nonpartisan advocacy group, warned that could close the U.S.'s advantage in the AI race and compromise American security.

"If China gets their hands on these chips at scale, they would be able to launch cyberattacks against the U.S., they could build autonomous weapons that could find and sink our Navy ships -- they could close the military technology gap that's currently keeping us safe," he said.

Ethics experts said the concept of a foreign government official secretly directing hundreds of millions of dollars to a company owned in part by the president has no known precedent -- and raises a host of ethical and national security concerns.

"Maybe the President would have reached the same decision over the transfer of high techn [chips] to UAE if he wasn't also getting money from them," said Robert Weissman, the co-president of the advocacy group Public Citizen. "But we've got no way to know that, and we do know there was a lot of opposition inside the government to do exactly what he has OK'd."

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly maintained that the president "only acts in the best interests of the American public," and said that no conflict of interest exists in part because the president's assets are held in a blind trust managed by his children. Typically, a blind trust would operate with an independent trustee.

"President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children," Kelly added. "There are no conflicts of interest."

The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Questions grow over UAE royal’s investment in Trump family’s crypto firm

Congressional Democrats leapt at new details in the report, characterizing the transaction as further evidence of alleged pay-for-play. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., alleged "mind blowing corruption," in a post to X.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., issued a statement calling the deal "corruption, plain and simple."

"Foreign countries are bribing our president to sell out the American people," Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., claimed in a post to X.

MGX is also one of the few companies with a major ownership stake in the new TikTok U.S. joint venture, with a 15% stake in the new entity.

ABC News' Selina Wang contributed to this report.

A4 X65 from ny post

Abu Dhabi royal known as ‘spy sheikh’ secretly bought massive stake in Trump family’s crypto firm: report

By Taylor Herzlich Published Feb. 2, 2026, 12:43 p.m. ET

An Abu Dhabi royal known as the “spy sheikh” reportedly bought a massive stake in the Trump family’s crypto firm for half a billion dollars in secret just four days before President Trump took office.

Two months later, the Trump administration allowed the United Arab Emirates access to 500,000 of the most advanced AI chips each year – a sharp reversal from Biden-era export curbs, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan – a bearded, wiry man almost never seen without his signature dark sunglasses – entered into a deal with the Trump family to purchase a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, The Journal reported, citing company documents and sources.

See a picture of Tahnoon here.

The deal – which was signed by Eric Trump, the president’s son – would pay $187 million to the Trump family upfront, according to the Journal.

It would also set aside $31 million for entities affiliated with the family of Steve Witkoff, a World Liberty co-founder and Trump’s longtime golfing buddy who was named US envoy to the Middle East just a few weeks prior, according to the report.

Tahnoon – the United Arab Emirates’ national security adviser and brother to the Gulf monarchy’s president – had been pushing the US for access to AI chips after the Biden administration sought to restrict exports over concerns they could be diverted to China.

It raised questions around whether the deal violates the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which blocks the president from receiving profits from foreign governments through his businesses, The Journal noted.

Tahnoon’s AI firm G42 had earlier raised concerns among American lawmakers for its close ties to sanctioned Chinese firms like Huawei, according to the report.

Eric Trump, the president’s son, signed the deal, according to the Wall Street Journal.

After Trump’s re-election, though, Tahnoon met with Trump, Witkoff and other US officials several times, including a visit to the White House in March, sources told the newspaper.

Just a few months later, the Trump administration granted the UAE access to 500,000 advanced chips yearly – demanding the equivalent of more than two Hoover Dams worth of power, and enough to build one of the largest-ever data center sites, according to The Journal.

Roughly one-fifth of those chips were slated to go to G42, the report said.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told The Post that Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children and there are “no conflicts of interest,” and that Witkoff has “spent considerable time away from his family” on his own dime to advance “goals of peace around the world.”

She accused legacy media outlets of spreading lies and “lodging smears” against Trump officials.

Tahnoon met with Trump, Witkoff and other US officials several times, including a visit to the White House in March, sources told The Journal.

“President Trump performs his constitutional duties in an ethically sound manner and to suggest so otherwise is either ill-informed or malicious,” White House counsel David Warrington told The Post.

Warrington said Witkoff has divested from World Liberty Financial and does not “participate in any official matters that could impact his financial interests.”

The 49% stake sale would make Tahnoon’s firm Aryam Investment 1 the largest shareholder in World Liberty Financial, and add two Aryam execs – who also held top roles at G42 – to World Liberty’s five-person board, The Journal reported, citing documents.

Tahnoon’s MGX is also involved in the new TikTok US joint venture and Stargate, a $500 billion data center project.via REUTERS

A few weeks before the UAE chips deal was announced in May, World Liberty CEO Zach Witkoff – Steve Witkoff’s son – announced that MGX, another Tahnoon-backed company, would use World Liberty’s stablecoin to complete a $2 billion investment in Binance.

That helped skyrocket World Liberty’s stablecoin – USD1, which is pegged to the US dollar – up the rankings of the largest stablecoins, according to The Journal.

Tahnoon’s MGX is also one of the investors behind the new joint venture operating TikTok in the US, under a deal negotiated by the Trump administration.

MGX is also one of the investors backing Stargate, a $500 billion data center project involving OpenAI and SoftBank that Trump unveiled on his first full day in office, but has yet to announce much progress.

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner also raised $1.5 billion for his investment firm in 2024 from a Tahnoon-backed company, according to The Journal.

A5 X71 X71 FROM BINANCE

UAE Enters The Phase of Blockchain, The Blockchain Center Abu Dhabi and Binance Research Finds

2026-02-09

Main Takeaways

· New research released by The Blockchain Center Abu Dhabi finds that the UAE is moving from blockchain experimentation to regulated, large-scale deployment across finance, governance, and public-sector efficiency.

· The report highlights how the UAE’s layered regulatory framework is enabling institutional adoption across payments, tokenization, custody, and market infrastructure, positioning blockchain as part of the country’s economic operating layer.

· The Blockchain Center Abu Dhabi has collaborated with Binance as a co-author, recognizing Binance’s role in building institutional-grade digital asset infrastructure within the UAE’s regulated environment.

The UAE’s blockchain story is increasingly defined by execution rather than experimentation. A new flagship research report released by The Blockchain Center Abu Dhabi highlights the country’s transition toward regulated, large-scale blockchain deployment across finance, governance, and public-sector efficiency. At the center of that shift is layered regulatory design which has created the conditions for institutions to move beyond pilots and begin integrating blockchain into payments, tokenization, custody, and market infrastructure.

As part of this initiative, The Blockchain Center Abu Dhabi has collaborated with Binance as a co-author, recognizing Binance’s evolution from a global crypto exchange to a core provider of institutional-grade digital asset infrastructure globally and within the UAE’s regulatory environment.

FROM EXPERIMENTATION TO EXECUTION AT NATIONAL SCALE

The report highlights that the UAE has moved into an execution phase defined by scale, regulatory clarity, and institutional adoption. Domestic payment systems processed over AED 20 trillion in transfers in the first ten months of 2025, while the UAE continues to rank among the world’s largest remittance-origin countries.

The report also cites a set of behavioral and market indicators that shape demand for modern settlement rails, including that 95% of UAE residents send international remittances at least once per year, more than 71% of UAE e-commerce payments are completed using cards or mobile wallets, and cross-border flows supported by the UAE economy exceed $40 billion annually. Against this backdrop, blockchain use cases are increasingly acknowledged as tools that can improve settlement speed, transparency, and operational efficiency when deployed responsibly.

A SHIFT TOWARD INSTITUTIONAL MARKET STRUCTURE

The core theme revolves around structural shift in the UAE’s blockchain ecosystem. It has evolved from early-stage startups to a dense, institutional landscape spanning regulated exchanges and custodians, payment providers, tokenization platforms, infrastructure vendors, enterprise solution providers, banks, and multinational technology firms.

Commenting on the findings, Abdulla Al Dhaheri, CEO of The Blockchain Center Abu Dhabi, said: “The UAE has created an environment where regulators, financial institutions, and technology providers can work together to deploy blockchain in a controlled and meaningful way. The result is an ecosystem focused on real use cases, regulatory clarity, and long-term financial infrastructure.”

He added that the report captures the transition from experimentation to supervised deployment, showing how global platforms such as Binance are increasingly participating within locally regulated market structures rather than operating on the periphery.

BLOCKCHAIN AS ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE

The report positions blockchain as national economic infrastructure, comparing its trajectory to other foundational technologies that reshaped economies. It highlights regulated deployments across real-world asset tokenization, stablecoins and AED-backed tokenized deposits, payments and wholesale settlement platforms, and blockchain-powered trade, logistics, and government services.

Digital public infrastructure is also scaling in parallel. The UAE Pass serves 11 million users and has processed over 2.5 billion authentications, reflecting the scale of digital identity usage across the country. This further points to the role of sovereign and quasi-sovereign capital – with more than $2.5 trillion in assets under management – in supporting and scaling compliant blockchain initiatives.

Binance Within the UAE’s Institutional Blockchain Framework

The UAE’s emphasis on regulated, large-scale digital asset infrastructure is reflected by choosing Binance to operate locally as an ADGM FSRA-regulated entity. MGX’s $2 billion investment into Binance in 2025, executed using regulated stablecoin infrastructure, is another signal of the UAE’s commitment to production-grade digital finance and its growing credibility as a hub for globally scaled platforms.

Tarik Erk, Regional Head for MENAT and Senior Executive Officer, Abu Dhabi at Binance, said: “What distinguishes the UAE is not just innovation, but execution within a regulated, institutional-grade framework. This research reflects how blockchain is now being deployed across payments, tokenization, custody, and market infrastructure as part of the country’s core economic systems. Binance’s participation in this initiative reflects our long-term commitment to operating within these structures and supporting the UAE’s vision for secure, scalable, and compliant blockchain infrastructure that serves real economic use cases.”

FINAL THOUGHTS

This report presents the UAE as a global benchmark for moving blockchain from promise to production, showing what becomes possible when regulation, capital, and ecosystem coordination reinforce each other. The shift to real deployments becomes practical when there’s a market structure that has clear rules, credible supervision, and institutional participation that make blockchain systems dependable enough to support real economic activity at national scale, and relevant enough to compete globally.

At Binance, our focus is to support this next phase in practice through regulated operations, institutional-grade infrastructure, and ecosystem partnerships that help blockchain move from pilots to services people and institutions can rely on.

A6 X72 FROM FORBES

Binance—Whose Founder Was Pardoned—Now Holds 87% Of Trump’s Stablecoin

By Zach Everson, Feb 09, 2026, 02:37pm ESTFeb 10, 2026, 01:35pm EST

Binance holds about 87% of USD1, the stablecoin issued by a Trump family crypto venture—a greater concentration than any other major stablecoin has at a single exchange—underscoring the depth of the financial relationship between Binance, whose founder Trump pardoned in October, and World Liberty Financial, which already has added an estimated $1 billion to President Donald Trump’s net worth.

Between its own wallets and its users’ accounts, Binance holds approximately 87% of all USD1 in circulation—roughly $4.7 billion of the $5.4 billion total supply—the highest concentration at any third-party exchange among the top 10 stablecoins by market cap as of Monday, according to a Forbes analysis of data from Arkham Intel, a blockchain analytics platform.

World Liberty Financial may be deepening that concentration: In late January, two days after Binance announced a promotion where USD1 holders would be awarded $40 million in one of World Liberty Financial’s other crypto products, $WLFI, Trump’s crypto venture transferred about that much worth of $WLFI to Binance, according to Arkham.

Binance is prohibited from serving U.S. customers under the terms of its 2023 settlement with the Treasury Department, meaning if the rules are properly followed, the 87% of USD1 kept in Binance-controlled wallets would mostly be held on behalf of customers outside the United States.

A Trump-affiliated LLC owns about 38% of World Liberty Financial, which stands to profit from its stablecoin by investing the dollars backing USD1 in assets like U.S. Treasurys, keeping the interest (currently around 3.6%).

In 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission dropped its lawsuit against Binance for alleged securities law violations just days after the exchange first listed USD1, and in October, Trump pardoned its co-founder and former CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, who pleaded guilty in 2023 to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program.

Binance told Forbes its involvement with USD1 is similar to what it provides for other cryptocurrencies, “it is not uncommon for large exchanges to hold large amounts of certain tokens,” and there is no connection between Zhao’s pardon and Binance’s promotions of USD1; World Liberty Financial called the promotions “standard practice” and said any suggestions Binance can influence the company are “patently false;” Zhao’s attorney called the pardon an effort to “rectify an injustice;” and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump has never and will never engage in conflicts of interest.

Molly White, an independent crypto researcher, told Forbes the concentration is unusual, though “not terribly surprising” given Binance’s USD1 promotions, which she called the most generous she’s seen. She said there is “at least theoretical risk” when a token is highly concentrated at one exchange—such as assets being locked in bankruptcy proceedings—and the concentration gives Binance “some degree of leverage” over World Liberty Financial, especially since some of the 87% is likely assets the exchange owns rather than holds on behalf of customers.

CONTRA

“Any implication that Binance can exert control or influence over World Liberty Financial is patently false,” World Liberty Financial spokesperson David Wachsman told Forbes, comparing the Binance listing to consumer brands being “happy to have shelf space at Walmart.” He also noted the company has run promotions at other exchanges. A Binance spokesperson said its involvement with USD1 is “limited to standard listing, infrastructure, and market-access services that we provide to a wide range of projects on consistent terms” and it employs “robust risk management measures” to provide a “secure and stable trading environment.”

CRUCIAL QUOTE

“It’s rare to see @heyibinance highlight a project,” World Liberty Financial co-founder and COO Zak Folkman posted on X after the promotion was announced.

Binance’s Usd1 Holding Stands Out Among Top Stablecoins

Binance holds a higher percentage of USD1 than any other exchange holds of any stablecoin in the top 10 by market capitalization. Market-cap rankings via DefiLlama; exchange holdings from Arkham, Feb. 9, 12–1 p.m. EST.

In May, World Liberty Financial co-founder and CEO Zach Witkoff said MGX, a state-backed Abu Dhabi fund, would use $2 billion worth of USD1 to invest in Binance—effectively placing $2 billion of reserves with USD1’s custodian and boosting interest income for World Liberty Financial’s owners. The transaction also helped lift USD1’s market cap, improving its scale and visibility. A Binance spokesperson previously told Forbes it “did not control the payment method chosen by MGX,” while an MGX representative said her company selected USD1 for its business suitability, the currency of its backing assets and its “compliance history” (though stablecoin was brand new at the time). Then in December, World Liberty Financial said Binance would convert the assets it had set aside to back a token tied to its sunsetting stablecoin, BUSD, into USD1. That move “further embedd[ed] the stablecoin within the exchange’s ecosystem,” making it “an integral part of Binance’s updated collateral structure,” according to World Liberty Financial’s announcement. In its gold paper, World Liberty Financial described itself as “pioneering a new era of Decentralized Finance.”

WHAT IS TRUMP’S LINK TO WORLD LIBERTY FINANCIAL?

World Liberty Financial, which launched in September 2024, was “inspired by the vision of Donald J. Trump” and lists him as its co-founder emeritus, alongside co-founders Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Barron Trump. An LLC affiliated with Trump and some family members owns about 38% of World Liberty Financial and 22.5 billion $WLFI tokens and the LLC is entitled to 75% of the proceeds from sales of $WLFI, per the small print on its website. Trump reported making $57.4 million from World Liberty Financial on his latest financial disclosure, which appears to cover the 12 months ending in December 2024, income he receives through the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust. He is its sole donor and beneficiary, while Donald Trump Jr. serves as the trustee. The Trump Organization confirmed in an April regulatory filing in the United Kingdom that Trump retains control over his businesses while in office.

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW

Beyond the $2 billion it has from MGX, it’s not clear how much of the $4.7 billion of USD1 in Binance’s accounts is owned by the exchange and how much is owned by its customers. Corey Frayer, a former senior adviser on crypto markets to the SEC chair during the Biden administration, told Forbes the concentration “suggests that USD1 was never meant to be a real stablecoin,” but just a way to funnel money to Trump. Frayer noted that Binance previously has been charged with wash-trading through the Zhao-owned Sigma Chain AG, adding, “We actually don’t know who controls those other accounts.” Binance's attorneys denied the wash-trading allegations in a court filing, and Trump’s SEC dropped the case in May 2025.

SURPRISING FACT

Binance’s U.S. affiliate, Binance US, holds just $1,119 of USD1, according to Arkham Intel. That so little USD1 is held in Binance’s U.S. company “strongly suggests” it’s mostly foreign entities making these deals with World Liberty, Frayer said.

HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY OF TRUMP CRYPTO DEALINGS

On Jan. 31, the Wall Street Journal reported that in January 2025, just days before Trump returned to the White House, Eric Trump signed a deal with lieutenants of Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan—who heads multiple United Arab Emirates investment funds, is the country’s national security advisor and is the deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi—to sell him 49% of World Liberty Financial for $500 million. Tahnoon is also the chair of MGX, the UAE-backed technology investment fund that used $2 billion worth of USD1 to invest in Binance. Tahnoon’s stake does not entitle him to any proceeds from the sales of $WLFI, the Journal reported, citing company documents. The deal also placed two associates of Tahnoon on World Liberty Financial’s five-member board. On Wednesday, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., the ranking member on the House Committee on China, launched an investigation into whether the deal influenced U.S. policies on AI chip exports to China, demanding World Liberty Financial turn over info on its $500 million deal with Tahnoon. White House counsel David Warrington told the Journal “the president has no involvement in business deals that would implicate his constitutional responsibilities.”

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Whether USD1’s concentration at Binance persists after the $40 million WLFI promotion ends on Feb. 20—or whether holders ditch or move the currency at that point. Rep. Khanna has set a March 1 deadline for World Liberty Financial to produce records.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN $WLFI AND USD1?

$WLFI is a governance token World Liberty Financial began selling in October 2024 to accredited and foreign investors. The tokens do not represent ownership in any company, are not backed by underlying assets and were originally non-transferable until holders voted in July to unlock some of them. They just allow holders to vote on decisions affecting the project. USD1, announced in March 2025, is a stablecoin meant to be redeemable 1-to-1 with U.S. dollars and backed by dollars and U.S. government money markets. Binance account holders are currently receiving $WLFI tokens in exchange for holding USD1 via the promotion.

BIG NUMBER

235 million: The amount of $WLFI tokens World Liberty Financial transferred to Binance, ostensibly to fund the promotion.

TANGENT

Cryptocurrencies have been plummeting recently, with bitcoin down around 45% from its all-time high in October 2025 and ethereum down 57% from its August peak as of noon Monday, according to CoinGecko. $WLFI hit an all-time low of $0.09831 on the public markets on Sunday down 66% from its all-time high—but still two to seven times higher than what early backers paid.

FORBES VALUATION

Forbes estimates Donald Trump is worth about $6.4 billion today, an increase of about $2.1 billion since his election to a second term in November 2024. World Liberty Financial's token added about $1 billion to his net worth, as of October 2025.

A7 FROM FORBES

As Trump Defends Foreign Workers, His Company Sought Record Number In 2025

By Zach Everson Nov 12, 2025, 03:20pm EST

When President Donald Trump defended the need for foreign workers on Fox News on Tuesday, he echoed his own company’s practices: The Trump Organization has requested a record 184 of them this year for Mar-a-Lago and other properties.

The Trump Organization sought to bring in at least 184 foreign workers in 2025 for temporary positions at Mar-a-Lago, two golf clubs and a Virginia winery through H-2A and H-2B visas, according to data from the Department of Labor.

The company’s visa requests have risen steadily in recent years, from 121 in 2021 to a record 184 in 2025.

During Trump’s five years in office, the Trump Organization filed to bring in at least 566 foreign workers.

The jobs—primarily servers, clerks, housekeepers, kitchen staff and farm workers—pay between $15.58 and $27.91 an hour, per Department of Labor listings.

Spokespeople for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to inquiries, while the White House would not comment.

Big Number

2,033: The total number of foreign workers the Trump Organization has sought to hire since 2008, the earliest year for which data is posted on the Labor Department’s website.

News Peg

Trump said Tuesday on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle” that H-1B visas—which, unlike those his businesses use, target highly skilled workers in specialized fields such as engineering, accounting and the arts—were necessary to bring workers with “certain talents” to the United States. In September, Trump imposed a $100,000 payment on many H-1B visa petitions.

Crucial Quote

“If you want to raise wages for American workers, you can’t flood the country with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of foreign workers,” host Laura Ingraham said during the interview.

PROMOTED

Contra

U.S. law allows companies to hire foreign workers through temporary visas when they can’t fill jobs with U.S. applicants, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Trump Organization has repeatedly made use of two such programs—H-2A for agricultural workers, like those at his Virginia winery, and H-2B for hospitality jobs at clubs like Mar-a-Lago. To use these programs, businesses must first get approval from the Labor Department, then petition the Department of Homeland Security, before the State Department issues visas abroad.

What We Don’t Know

It’s unclear where the Trump Organization’s foreign workers are coming from. The Labor Department does not disclose the nationalities of H-2A and H-2B visa holders, though citizens of about 90 countries are eligible for them.

Key Background

Three Trump properties among those most frequented by the president—Mar-a-Lago and his golf clubs in Bedminster, New Jersey and West Palm Beach, Florida—sought foreign workers for 2025. The first two properties were at the center of a Justice Department investigation for allegedly improperly storing classified documents, which was dropped after his reelection in November 2024. Trump can earn income from his businesses while in office through the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, the same vehicle he used during his first term. He is its sole donor and beneficiary, while Donald Trump Jr. serves as the trustee. The Trump Organization confirmed in an April regulatory filing in the United Kingdom that Trump retains control over his businesses while in office.

What To Watch For

The Trump winery is expected to apply in December for visas for 2026, based on its filings in recent years.

Tangent

At least two Coast Guard Exchanges—government-run retail stores that provide service members and their families with access to tax-free consumer goods—carried Trump wines and ciders before selling out, as Forbes previously reported.

Forbes Valuation

Forbes estimates Donald Trump is worth about $6.5 billion today, with much of his wealth coming from crypto these days, rather than real estate and golf clubs.

Bottom of Form

A8 FROM EUROMAIDENX12 X12

Abu Dhabi: the scaffolding beneath peace—and the house nobody is building

Prisoners come home. The hard questions don’t even have a table yet.

by Matthew Parish 07/02/2026

When diplomats label a meeting “peace talks”, they usually mean negotiations over the core political questions that decide whether a war ends, on what terms, and with what risk of resumption. The current Ukraine–Russia–US meetings in Abu Dhabi do not yet meet that description. What is taking place is narrower, more cautious, and more revealing for precisely that reason.

Abu Dhabi is about the plumbing beneath peace: the pipes, valves, and pressure gauges without which a ceasefire cannot function.

Abu Dhabi is about the plumbing beneath peace: the pipes, valves, and pressure gauges without which a ceasefire cannot function, but which do not themselves decide the shape of the house. That distinction matters because plumbing can work perfectly while the building above remains uninhabitable.

A MOMENT OF FOCUS

One detail from the talks captures their character more clearly than any communique. Russia is reported to have demanded that Ukraine withdraw from the entirety of Donetsk Oblast as a precondition to further discussions. Ukraine has rejected that demand and has instead argued for freezing the conflict along the current front lines.

A requirement that one side vacate territory it still controls before peace talks even begin tells us how far the parties are from a political settlement.

Nothing else needs to be added. A requirement that one side vacate territory it still controls before peace talks even begin tells us how far the parties are from a political settlement. It also explains why so much of the Abu Dhabi agenda has retreated into technicalities.

WHAT IS ACTUALLY ON THE TABLE

The most tangible outcome publicised after the second round of meetings is a major prisoner exchange: 157 prisoners of war returned by each side. The US envoy, Steve Witkoff, described this as flowing from “constructive” discussions focused on “conditions for a durable peace”.

Reporting points to a cluster of issues that all sit firmly in the category of making conflict management possible rather than ending the conflict.

Prisoner exchanges are humanitarian, visible, and technically manageable precisely because they do not require either Ukraine or Russia to concede on sovereignty or borders. They are also historically common in wars that are far from ending.

Beyond this, reporting points to a cluster of issues that all sit firmly in the category of making conflict management possible rather than ending the conflict itself:

The restoration of high-level US–Russia military-to-military communication is presented as a measure to reduce the risk of escalation.

Discussion of an energy-related truce and alleged violations of it, probing whether limited ceasefire arrangements can be made to hold in practice.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, both a strategic infrastructure and a latent hazard, is a test case for how any form of “international cooperation” might operate over territory Russia occupies, while Ukraine insists the plant must return to its control.

These are not trivial matters. They are, however, implementation questions: where forces would stand, what would be monitored, which infrastructure would be insulated from attack, and which rules militaries would follow to avoid accidents. They are the mechanics of a ceasefire, not the constitutional settlement of a war.

WHO IS IN THE ROOM

The level of representation reinforces that point.

On the US side, the visible figures are Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, alongside him. The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has commented from Washington rather than leading a delegation on site.

Parallel tracks involve senior military officers, including the commander of US European Command, in restoring military communications, while the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, signals that sanctions remain a separate lever.

Ukraine is represented by Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, who has stressed “concrete steps and practical solutions”. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, remains active diplomatically but is not presented as the principal negotiator in Abu Dhabi, again suggesting a working-group process rather than a final political bargain.

PEACE, WHEN IT COMES, WILL REQUIRE DECISIONS THAT ONLY A VERY SMALL CIRCLE CAN TAKE.

On Russia’s side, the most prominent figure is Kirill Dmitriev, who has been involved in discussions about restoring Russia–US relations and possible economic cooperation. Russia’s foreign minister is not the public face of the talks. Nor is there a clear indication that Moscow has delegated the authority required to trade territory, security guarantees, and sanctions relief as a single package.

Peace, when it comes, will require decisions that only a very small circle can take: heads of state, foreign ministers empowered to commit, defense leadership able to translate commitments into orders and, for Ukraine, arrangements that can withstand constitutional and democratic scrutiny. Abu Dhabi does not yet have that profile.

WHY PLUMBING IS ALL THAT IS POSSIBLE

There is a structural reason these talks gravitate towards the technical.

The central questions of a sustainable peace are brutal:

Territory, including legal status, the rights of people living under occupation, and the practicalities of movement across any line.

Security guarantees, where Ukraine’s insistence on robust external commitments collides directly with Russia’s resistance to arrangements she sees as hostile.

Sequencing and enforcement: who moves first, how violations are verified, and what follows if they occur.

Justice and accountability, which may be deferred but cannot be erased.

Against that background, Abu Dhabi functions as a site for partial agreements and risk management. Prisoners can be exchanged. Hotlines can be restored. A nuclear facility can be discussed in operational terms. None of this requires either side to concede the logic of its war aims.

That is the language of process engineering, not of final-status negotiation.

Rubio’s public framing is telling. He has spoken of “technical military teams” and warned that progress may not be visible until a “breakthrough”. That is the language of process engineering, not of final-status negotiation.

THE DANGER AT THE CENTER

This is the point at which technical talks become politically dangerous.

Russia is able to pursue maximalist demands, such as insisting on Ukrainian withdrawal from Donetsk, while simultaneously benefiting from warmer channels with Washington. These channels are not abstract. They mean restored military communications, reduced risk of direct US–Russia incidents, exploratory economic discussions, and the quiet erosion of Russia’s diplomatic isolation.

None of that depends on Russia making concessions to Ukraine.

For the United States, technical progress allows claims of momentum and responsibility without forcing immediate choices over sanctions relief, security guarantees, or enforcement mechanisms.

A process branded as “peace talks” can become diplomatic cover for Russian rearmament.

Ukraine, meanwhile, faces a more delicate calculation. Kyiv participates because not participating carries its own risks. Refusing talks would be portrayed as intransigence, potentially weakening Western support.

Participation keeps Ukraine inside the room where decisions affecting her security environment are being shaped. It also delivers real, if limited, gains: prisoners returned home, some restraint on attacks against energy infrastructure, and channels to expose violations.

But the risks are real. A process branded as “peace talks” can become diplomatic cover for Russian rearmament, repositioning, and consolidation under improved international conditions. Technical success can create the illusion that the scaffolding is the house.

WHY UKRAINE STAYS ENGAGED

From a legal and strategic perspective, Ukraine’s participation is best understood as defensive diplomacy. She does not concede that Abu Dhabi is a peace process in the full sense. She treats it as conflict management, aimed at minimizing harm while preserving her legal position on sovereignty, occupation, and aggression.

The calculation is that limited, concrete deliverables may be worth the risk, provided the distinction between plumbing and peace is maintained publicly and politically.

So are these peace talks?

They are connected to peace, but they are not peace itself. Abu Dhabi is, for now, about making a ceasefire or a later settlement technically possible and about managing escalation risks, while the central political bargain remains untouched.

The test is straightforward. When delegations are led by figures who can credibly trade territory, security guarantees, and sanctions relief in one package, and when the agenda is described openly in those terms, the process will have moved from plumbing to architecture. Until then, the danger lies not in the talks themselves, but in outsiders mistaking their outputs for a settlement.

a9 X13 X13

From gulf news

Abu Dhabi’s diplomatic moment: Why the UAE has become a global hub for peace negotiations

In a fractured world, UAE offers what great powers cannot: trust, neutrality and access

Kristian Alexander, Special to Gulf News Last updated: February 06, 2026 | 13:00

Peace negotiations rarely hinge solely on what is discussed. The where, the venue chosen by parties locked in hostility, often shapes the psychological environment and geopolitical context within which diplomacy unfolds. A negotiation site is more than a backdrop: it signals intent, inspires confidence, and offers neutrality at a moment when mistrust is often at its peak. Across decades of regional and extra-regional diplomacy, three Gulf states - Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar - have emerged as preferred venues for high-stakes mediation. Their rise as negotiation hubs is not accidental. Rather, it reflects a sophisticated statecraft that blends neutrality, logistical capability, diplomatic discretion, and a strategic desire to project soft power.

From Oslo to Geneva, history underscores that where adversaries meet can be as consequential as what they discuss. In recent years, a distinct pattern has emerged: smaller, neutral nations, particularly Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, have become the go-to stages for some of the world’s most intractable conflicts. Their allure is not an accident. It is a calculated asset, and their significance reveals a profound truth about modern conflict resolution: the environment must cultivate peace before the parties can articulate it.

Shift in global order

This shift in diplomatic geography reflects broader changes in the international system. The rise of these venues signals a shift in the global order. As the UN Security Council remains frequently paralysed by vetoes and major powers become “prisoners of their own declared positions,” countries like Oman, the UAE, and Qatar have filled the vacuum. They offer what traditional great powers increasingly cannot: practical, discreet, and politically acceptable spaces for adversaries to meet.

Also Read:Why stability remains the UAE’s most enduring foreign policy principle

Nowhere has this transformation been more visible than in the UAE. Abu Dhabi has developed into one of the world’s most important diplomatic hubs, a place where dialogue occurs not because of ideological alignment, but because the UAE has built a reputation as a stable, trusted, and forward-looking convening power. In an era of fragmentation, the Emirates provide something increasingly rare: a venue where parties who cannot talk anywhere else can still meet.

The significance of venue in a fractured world

The physical location of talks affects diplomatic outcomes because peace negotiations are not sterile political transactions. They are human encounters shaped by fear, suspicion, and political calculation. A neutral and well-regarded venue lowers the temperature, reduces symbolic pressure, and provides procedural fairness. Delegations must feel, emotionally and practically, that they can speak openly, securely, and without manipulation.

Also Read: A step towards peace: Trilateral Ukraine talks conclude in Abu Dhabi

The Gulf’s diplomatic rise stems partly from this unique ability to create controlled, predictable, and confidential environments. Oman’s discreet mediation between Iran and the United States, which laid the foundation for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action JCPOA, remains a defining example of regional quiet diplomacy. Qatar’s role in hosting US–Taliban negotiations and facilitating hostage-release mechanisms further demonstrated the Gulf’s capacity to step in where others cannot.

But it is the UAE that has increasingly become the epicentre of this new diplomatic landscape. Abu Dhabi’s approach is pragmatic, coordinated, and anchored in the Emirates’ broader foreign-policy identity: a state committed to stability, global engagement, and problem-solving.

Abu Dhabi’s diplomatic model

The UAE’s rise as a negotiation venue rests on several interlocking strengths. First, its balanced foreign policy allows it to maintain robust relationships with states across rival geopolitical blocs, from Washington and European capitals to Moscow, Beijing, and key actors throughout the Middle East. This breadth gives Abu Dhabi the rare ability to host adversaries who would reject each other’s allies as potential venues.

Also Read:Yemen: Wisdom over noise in times of regional crisis

This geopolitical flexibility was on full display during the Russia–Ukraine exchanges that unfolded in the UAE. The Russia-Ukraine talks hosted in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of February 2026, demonstrated this: a location accessible, secure, and symbolically distant from the Euro-Atlantic sphere. The UAE’s contribution is efficiency and a forward-looking, deal-oriented environment. It appeals to parties who want to project a sense of moving beyond conflict toward reconstruction and future normalcy.

The second pillar of the UAE’s diplomatic model is logistical excellence. Peace negotiations require exceptional administrative coordination, secure facilities, confidential communications, controlled media exposure, and trusted intermediaries. Abu Dhabi’s ability to deliver this technical precision makes it one of the most appealing venues for negotiations involving politically sensitive or high-risk exchanges.

Also Read:From innovation to digital sovereignty: How UAE is shaping the global technology order

Third, the UAE’s diplomatic culture is grounded in pragmatism. Emirati officials tend to focus on deliverables, humanitarian outcomes, and incremental trust-building rather than grand ideological narratives. This resonates particularly well with actors seeking a venue that does not impose political frameworks onto the talks. Delegations often describe the Emirates as offering a professional, calm, and forward-looking atmosphere, one that encourages agreement rather than confrontation.

A new centre of diplomatic gravity

It is no coincidence that Abu Dhabi has hosted talks ranging from humanitarian exchanges to sensitive political discussions involving regional rivals and global powers. As other diplomatic channels narrow, the UAE has become a rare space where adversaries can sit together without the symbolism or scrutiny that accompanies negotiations in more traditional capitals.

Also Read:UAE’s Principles of the 50: A doctrine, not a document

The UAE’s uniqueness lies in its ability to convene actors across the widest geopolitical spectrum. It offers neutrality without passivity, security without rigidity, and logistical excellence without political pressure. In a world where diplomatic trust is diminishing, Abu Dhabi offers a venue where trust can be cautiously rebuilt.

A10X15 X15 FROM WOOD TV

Russia and Ukraine envoys meet in Abu Dhabi for 2 days of US-brokered talks

by: KAMILA HRABCHUK, Associated Press

Posted: Feb 4, 2026 / 11:40 AM EST Updated: Feb 4, 2026 / 11:41 AM EST

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Envoys from Moscow and Kyiv met in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for another round of U.S.-brokered talks on ending the almost four-year war, as a Russian attack using cluster munitions killed seven people at a market in Ukraine.

The delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were joined in the capital of the United Arab Emirates by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council chief who attended the meeting.

“The discussions were substantive and productive, focusing on concrete steps and practical solutions,” Umerov said on social media as the first of two days of talks wrapped up.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that a breakthrough in the talks may not come for a while but the Trump administration has made great progress on negotiations over the past year.

“That’s the good news,” Rubio told reporters Wednesday. “The bad news is that the items that remain are the most difficult ones. And meanwhile the war continues.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov wouldn’t offer any details on the talks and said that Moscow wasn’t planning to comment on their results.

He said that “the doors for a peaceful settlement are open,” but that Moscow will proceed with its military campaign until Kyiv meets its demands.

Last month’s discussions in Abu Dhabi, part of a U.S. push to end the fighting, yielded some progress but no breakthrough on key issues, officials said.

The current talks also coincide with the expiry of the last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States on Thursday. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin could extend the terms of the treaty or renegotiate its conditions in an effort to prevent a new nuclear arms race.

ENERGY NETWORKS TARGETED

The Abu Dhabi talks were held as Ukrainians were outraged over major Russian attacks on their energy system, which have occurred each winter since Russia launched its all-out invasion of its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022.

A huge Russian bombardment overnight from Monday to Tuesday included hundreds of drones and a record 32 ballistic missiles, wounding at least 10 people. This came despite Ukraine’s understanding that Putin had told Trump that he would temporarily halt strikes on Ukraine’s power grid.

Ukrainian civilians are struggling with one of the coldest winters in years, which saw temperatures dip to around minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit).

About 60 foreign ambassadors took part in an organized visit Wednesday to a Kyiv thermal power plant that was almost completely destroyed by missiles and drones in the Monday night attack. The plant provided heating to about 500,000 people.

Russia is hitting Ukraine’s energy facilities because its armed forces believe the targets are associated with Kyiv’s military effort, Peskov said.

There has been a lack of clarity about how long Putin had promised to observe a pause on power grid attacks.

Trump said Tuesday at the White House that Putin had agreed to halt strikes for a week, through Feb. 1, and that the Russian leader had kept his word. But Zelenskyy said Tuesday that “barely four days have passed of the week Russia was asked to hold off,” before Ukraine was hit with new attacks, suggesting that the Ukrainian leader wasn’t fully aware of the terms of the Trump-Putin agreement.

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump was “unfortunately unsurprised” by Moscow’s resumption of attacks.

On Wednesday, more than 200 repair crews were at work in Kyiv to restore power, according to the Ukrainian Energy Ministry, which said that staff were exhausted and would be rotated. More than 1,100 apartment buildings in the capital were still without heating, Zelenskyy said.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said that the developments were part of Moscow’s negotiating strategy.

“The Kremlin will likely attempt to portray its adherence to this short-term energy strikes moratorium as a significant concession to gain leverage in the upcoming peace talks, even though the Kremlin used these few days to stockpile missiles for a larger strike package,” it said late Tuesday.

New attacks

Russia used cluster munitions Wednesday in an attack on a busy market in eastern Ukraine that killed seven and wounded 15 others, officials said.

The attack on the town of Druzhkivka darkened prospects for progress in the UAE, with Donetsk regional military administration chief Vadym Filashkin describing Russian talk of a ceasefire as “worthless.”

Russia also launched 105 drones against Ukraine overnight, and air defenses shot down 88 of them, the Ukrainian air force said Wednesday. Strikes by 17 drones were recorded at 14 locations, as well as falling debris at five sites, it said.

In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, a Russian strike on a residential area killed a 68-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man, regional military administration head Oleksandr Hancha said.

The southern city of Odesa also came under a large-scale attack, regional military administration head Oleh Kiper said. About 20 residential buildings were damaged, with four people rescued from under the rubble, he said.

A11 X62 X62 from the financial times

A crypto venture linked to Donald Trump accepted a half-billion-dollar investment backed by an Abu Dhabi royal days before the US president’s inauguration.

The Trump family’s World Liberty Financial (WLF) in January signed a deal with a group of investors backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser who also oversees a sprawling business empire. The deal was worth $500mn for a roughly 49 per cent equity stake in the company, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the deal.

WLF spokesperson David Wachsman said the company agreed to the investment “because we strongly believe that it was what was best for our company as we continue to grow”.

He denied that the investment had anything to do with an agreement to grant the UAE access to US artificial intelligence chips struck later in the year, but declined to give details of the deal.

During a trip to the Gulf last May, Trump and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan revealed plans to build the largest group of artificial intelligence data centres outside the US.

A planned 10sq mile UAE-US AI campus in Abu Dhabi is expected to have 5GW of data centre power — equivalent to more than 2mn of AI chipmaker Nvidia’s latest generation of GB200 chips.

The investment raises more questions about the fusion of politics and business during Trump’s second term.

WLF was set up in late 2024 by Trump’s three sons and Steve Witkoff’s sons Zach and Alex. Donald Trump is described on WLF’s website as the company’s co-founder emeritus, as is Steve Witkoff, who is the president’s Middle East envoy.

The WLF statement said neither President Trump nor Steve Witkoff “had any involvement whatsoever in this transaction and have had no involvement in World Liberty Financial since taking office”.

The White House said that the president “only acts in the best interests of the American public”, adding that his assets were in a trust managed by his children.

“The president has no involvement in business deals that would implicate his constitutional responsibilities,” said David Warrington, White House counsel.

A person close to Steve Witkoff said his children run WLF and he has “nothing to do with it”.

“Steve was not involved in negotiations related to [Emirati AI company] G42. He was only briefed on these discussions, which is totally appropriate,” the person said.

Sheikh Tahnoon has spearheaded Abu Dhabi’s push into AI and been integral to its discussions with the US to secure Nvidia chips. He chairs G42 and MGX, a state-backed fund focused on AI.

Like other oil-rich Gulf states, the UAE, a traditional US ally, has actively courted Trump since he returned to the White House, pledging hundreds of billions of dollars in investment in the US.

During Trump’s visit to the Gulf last year, the US and the UAE announced plans to build a vast data centre campus in Abu Dhabi, boosting its ambitions to become a global AI hub as it sought to secure access to Nvidia’s chips.

Investment funds in Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s wealthy capital, have also done deals with Trump’s family network.

Before Trump was re-elected last year, his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s private equity fund, Affinity Partners, raised $1.5bn from Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund and an Abu Dhabi fund linked to Sheikh Tahnoon.

In another business connection between Trump’s network and the UAE, Zach Witkoff announced last year that Abu Dhabi investment vehicle MGX had decided to use WLF’s USD1 stablecoin to close its $2bn investment in crypto exchange Binance.

A12 X63 X63 FROM fortune

How a ‘spy sheikh’ bought 49% of the Trump family’s flagship crypto company: ‘We’ve got some pretty meaningful investors’

By Ben Weiss, Crypto Reporter February 2, 2026, 12:37 PM ET

President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that his crypto businesses pose no conflicts of interest.

Just four days before President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, two lieutenants to a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family signed a contract to funnel $500 million into a Trump family crypto company. The investment into World Liberty Financial was backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, brother of the president of the United Arab Emirates, the Wall Street Journal reported. A spokesperson for the Trump family crypto company confirmed to Fortune that the transaction had occurred.

In exchange for half a billion dollars, a company tied to the politician, who’s an Emirati national security advisor and sometimes referred to as the “spy sheikh,” received 49% in equity in World Liberty Financial. The company was founded in 2024 as a DeFi platform, or business that puts banking activities like lending and borrowing on the blockchain. It’s one of the Trump family’s main crypto businesses.

Meanwhile, the two sheikh lieutenants who signed onto the World Liberty deal also hold top positions at G42, a technology and venture capital firm backed by the Abu Dhabi royal family. When asked by Fortune in May whether G42 backed the Trump family crypto company, Eric Trump, son of the president and cofounder of World Liberty Financial, said: “I’m not going to get to who the investors are, but we’ve got some pretty meaningful investors.”

The investment comes amid scrutiny over a landmark AI deal that saw the U.S. agree to give access to advanced AI chips to the Abu Dhabi–based G42, which is also a significant investor in AI. Fiacc Larkin, a senior executive at G42, is an advisor to World Liberty Financial, according to his LinkedIn and first reported by the New York Times.

“Any claim that this deal had anything to do with the administration’s actions on chips is 100% false,” said a spokesperson for World Liberty Financial. “The idea that, when raising capital, a privately held American company should be held to some unique standard that no other similar company would be held @military tech?? is both ridiculous and un-American.”

Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for the White House, said: “President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children. There are no conflicts of interest.”

A spokesperson for G42 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

TOKENS, STABLECOINS, AND DEFI

The deal follows broader worries over conflicts of interest concerning the president’s policies and his family’s crypto businesses, which continue to lean heavily on the commander-in-chief’s likeness and brand. He and the first lady have both promoted their own memecoins. Trump Media & Technology Group, which is behind the Trump-affiliated social media platform Truth Social, has also leaned into crypto. And Eric Trump and his brother Donald Trump Jr. have both backed a Bitcoin mining business called American Bitcoin.

But, among the Trump family’s sprawling crypto empire, World Liberty Financial stands out as the most ambitious and potentially lucrative.

In October 2024, the Trumps announced the launch of the business, which they called a DeFi platform. DeFi is shorthand for decentralized finance—a term those in the crypto industry use to refer to taking traditional banking activities like lending and borrowing and putting them on the blockchain.

When first launched, the company had no products—except for a cryptocurrency that it sold to investors for $550 million. In March, the company launched its own stablecoin, or cryptocurrency pegged to underlying assets like the U.S. dollar. The coin got an immediate bump in market capitalization after MGX, another venture firm tied to the Abu Dhabi royal family, invested $2 billion into the crypto exchange Binance with USD1, the stablecoin.

In January, the company finally released its own DeFi product, which lets users borrow and lend cryptocurrency using USD1.

A13 X21 X21 FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL PRAYER TEAM

The U.S., Ukraine, and Russia Engage in Peace Talks in Abu Dhabi

Officials described the discussions as “constructive” and making “positive progress.”

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Representatives from the United States, Ukraine, and Russia met for peace discussions in Abu Dhabi late last week. Negotiators called the talks “constructive” and said that “positive progress” was made regarding ending the war in Ukraine.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff stated that Moscow and Kyiv agreed to exchange hundreds of prisoners, the first swap to be conducted since September of last year.

Envoy Witkoff said, “This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive. While significant work remains, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Discussions will continue, with additional progress anticipated in the coming weeks.”

The U.S. and Russia also agreed to reestablish high-level military communications, which were suspended in late 2021.

As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…

· For wisdom for Envoy Witkoff and other U.S. negotiators as they engage with foreign representatives.

· For President Trump to be prudent in his decisions and actions regarding peace agreements.

A14X42 X42 From middle east eye

Prominent Saudi academic accuses UAE of being Israel's 'trojan horse'

Ahmed bin Othman al-Tuwaijri accused oil-rich Gulf nation of trying to weaken Saudi Arabia so it could emerge as a dominant regional power

Published date: 23 January 2026 21:13 GMT | Last update: 5 days 5 hours ago

A prominent Saudi Arabian academic has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of throwing itself "into the arms of Zionism" and functioning as "Israel's Trojan horse in the Arab world" in order to weaken Saudi Arabia and emerge as a dominant regional power.

In a scathing column published on Thursday in the Saudi newspaper Al Jazirah, Ahmed bin Othman al-Tuwaijri accused leaders in the oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi of being "blinded" by "hatred and jealousy" and of turning against the kingdom despite decades of Saudi support.

Tuwaijri, a former dean at King Saud University and a former Shura Council member, singled out the emirate of Abu Dhabi for criticism, saying it was pursuing "hostile plots under the guise of diplomacy" and was behind several attempts to destabilise the region.

The Shura Council is a consultative, legislative body that advises the king on laws, policies and governance, with echoes of the traditional Majlis in Arab society.

Framing the emirate's actions as both ideological and existential threats, Tuwaijri said that the UAE, which is governed by Mohammed bin Zayed - a staunch opponent of political Islam - had collaborated with Israel to the detriment of Arab interests.

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"They are trying to shift loyalty from Arab and Islamic solidarity toward external influence," Tuwaijri wrote.

"This is a betrayal of God, His Messenger, and the entire nation, and it cannot be ignored."

'Attacks on resistance groups'

Tuwaijri alleged that these collusions included direct military and intelligence cooperation, support for Israeli operations in Gaza, and the use of Emirati military bases in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa to facilitate Israeli attacks on Palestinian "resistance groups".

Citing Yemen as a key example, he accused Abu Dhabi of sowing unrest by backing factions in the country's south that had deliberately challenged the internationally recognised government.

Last month, fighters aligned with the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) swept through southern and eastern Yemen, seizing cities, military bases, ports, border crossings, and oil infrastructure from the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

The advance outraged Saudi Arabia, which on 30 December bombed an Emirati shipment in southern Yemen and criticised the UAE's role in backing the separatists.

Riyadh then launched strikes on the STC, and Saudi-backed forces subsequently advanced, with the separatists losing control across much of southern Yemen.

'Chaos in Sudan' and 'vermin' in Tunisia

In the article, Tuwaijri also condemned the UAE over the fragmentation of Libya, where two rival governments exist, and the country has been mired in more than a decade of civil war. He accused Abu Dhabi of seeking to splinter the country and support factions in the country's east with "money and weapons".

He further accused the UAE of "spreading chaos in Sudan" by arming the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with money and weapons and using "secret air bridges" to support them.

Turning to North Africa, Tuwaijri alleged that the UAE had "infiltrated Tunisia like vermin" and undermined Tunisian aspirations for freedom and justice following the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.

He said that in Egypt - once a major regional player - Abu Dhabi had flexed its financial muscle to dominate key sectors and influence Egyptian decision-making.

He also claimed that the UAE was deliberately backing Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam project despite the damage it could inflict on Egypt’s strategic interests.

Cairo, which relies on the Nile for roughly 97 percent of its freshwater needs, fears the dam could threaten its water security.

In the article, Tuwaijri also alleged that the UAE was intent on splitting up Somalia and establishing Israeli influence in the Horn of Africa for control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic maritime chokepoint.

Spillover beyond Arab world

Tensions between the UAE and Saudi Arabia have been simmering for years, but burst out in an unprecedented manner shortly after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Washington in November.

There, the Saudi leader lobbied US President Donald Trump against the UAE over its support for the RSF in Sudan. MEE was the first to reveal the lobbying plan. The following month, the STC launched its offensive, jolting Saudi Arabia into military action.

Saudi Arabia is also ramping up pressure on the UAE in Sudan. Along with Egypt and Turkey, Riyadh is backing the Sudanese Armed Forces against the UAE-backed RSF.

Another arena of disagreement is Somalia. Saudi Arabia last week joined scores of countries in condemning Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland.

The UAE’s name was absent from a long list of Muslim and Arab countries opposing the recognition. Abu Dhabi is known to be working closely with Somaliland, including the construction of a military base there.

The fallout between the UAE and Saudi Arabia is a head-spinning turnaround from a decade ago when the two states partnered to blockade Qatar. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was once a protege of UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed.

A15 FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

“MELANIA” – PREMIERE and RECEPTION

By Brooks Barnes Jan. 31, 2026

Amazon’s gold-plated rollout for Melania Trump’s documentary resulted in opening-weekend ticket sales of $7 million in the United States and Canada, box office analysts said on Sunday. That gave “Melania” the best start for a documentary (excluding concert films) in 14 years.

It was a face-saving result for the first lady — last week, ticket sales were pacing at about $5 million — but not for Amazon, which spent an exorbitant $75 million to buy distribution rights to “Melania” and market its release in 1,778 domestic theaters. Theater owners keep roughly 50 percent of ticket sales, meaning that Amazon will end the weekend with about $3.5 million to show for its investment.

On Saturday, analysts projected roughly $8 million in domestic ticket sales for the nearly two-hour film. The actual amount, $7 million, suggests that opening day was front loaded with Mrs. Trump’s fans. (Analysts projected the $8 million by collecting Friday sales data from various theater circuits, measuring presales for Saturday and Sunday and extrapolating from there.)

Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.

Brooks Barnes is the chief Hollywood correspondent for The Times. He has reported on the entertainment industry for 25 years.

A version of this article appears in print on Feb. 2, 2026, Section B, Page 4 of the New York edition with the headline: ‘Melania’ Has Big Opening Weekend At the Box Office for a Documentary. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

See more on: Melania Trump, U.S. Politics

A15 X31 X31 FROM NOVA NEWS – ROME

Tuesday, 10 February 2026

Egypt-UAE: Al Sisi and Bin Zayed focus on economic ties amid regional tensions

The Egyptian head of state visited Abu Dhabi in a complex geopolitical context, which sees the two countries having divergent positions on some issues in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.

Cairo 9 February 2026

The president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and his counterpart in the United Arab Emirates... Muhammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan... renewed the momentum of bilateral relations today in Abu Dhabi, placing particular emphasis on the economic sector, including trade and investment. The Egyptian head of state visited the Emirates in a complex geopolitical context, with Cairo and Abu Dhabi holding divergent positions on several issues in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, such as Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. In this context, the North African country is closer to Saudi Arabia, which is increasingly competing with Abu Dhabi for greater influence in the region. At the same time, Egypt and the UAE maintain joint diplomatic initiatives regarding the stabilization of the Gaza Strip and de-escalation in Iran. In this context, the two countries remain determined to balance cooperation based on their respective economic interests. As retired Egyptian general Mohamed Abdel Wahid, an expert on national security and international relations, emphasized to “Agenzia Nova,” relations between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are handled “with sensitivity.”

Relations between Cairo and Abu Dhabi “are characterized by a very delicate balance to resolve any potential political differences, in light of economic priorities,” explains the general, emphasizing that the two countries are trying to manage their differences behind closed doors, preserving investments in Egypt. On the other hand, the United Arab Emirates takes Egyptian sensitivities into account and has established joint commissions between the two countries to foster dialogue and address their respective needs. Furthermore, according to the expert, the “strategic and friendly personal relationship” between Al Sisi and Bin Zayed plays a significant role, through which they seek to “contain differences and bring positions closer.” Today was the Egyptian president’s 30^th visit to the United Arab Emirates since coming to power in 2014.

According to the Egyptian presidency, Bin Zayed welcomed Al Sisi at the airport and then accompanied him to the Abu Dhabi University of Artificial Intelligence. The Egyptian head of state was briefed on the university’s facilities and departments, as well as its academic program. The two leaders subsequently held a bilateral meeting over a working breakfast. During the meeting, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency, Al Sisi praised the “unprecedented level of coordination, consultations, and cooperation” between the two countries in various fields, particularly the economy and trade. The Egyptian president emphasized Cairo’s willingness to receive greater investment from the UAE, noting that relations between the two countries represent “a fundamental pillar of Arab national security and regional stability.” For his part, President Bin Zayed emphasized the “special nature” of bilateral relations, reaffirming the UAE’s willingness and commitment to expanding ties with Egypt in the areas of trade and investment.

Regarding current regional developments, according to the Egyptian presidency, “the importance of Arab solidarity was underlined at this critical juncture for the Middle East.” The two leaders specifically discussed the latest developments in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing the need for full implementation of the ceasefire agreement, the implementation of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, and unrestricted humanitarian access for the Palestinian population. The parties also emphasized the urgency of promptly initiating recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza, highlighting the importance of promoting a “just and comprehensive” peace process based on the two-state solution. Al Sisi and Bin Zayed finally agreed on the need to continue efforts “to resolve the crises plaguing the region” through “peaceful means” so as to “preserve the unity and integrity of states and the well-being of their peoples, and avoid any escalation,” according to the Egyptian presidency statement.

According to General Abdel Wahid, the UAE’s support for the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan (the paramilitary group in conflict with the regular armed forces) or Ethiopia in the water issue (regarding the GERD dam, a source of strong tension with Egypt over water reserves), as well as its support for the secession of Somaliland and its alleged intention to control Red Sea ports, are considered by Cairo as “moves that threaten national security.” The expert emphasizes, however, that Al Sisi’s visit to Abu Dhabi confirms that Egypt “will not enter into any alliance against the Emirates.” “There has been a rapprochement between Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, but it is not an alliance and is not aimed against the Emirates,” Abdel Wahid states, adding that Cairo aims to create “a very balanced foreign policy that guarantees the protection of national security, without economic damage.”

The analyst emphasizes that the Emirates are one of Egypt’s major economic supporters. It’s worth noting that in February 2024, an agreement was signed for the development of the Ras el-Hikma peninsula, on Egypt’s northwest coast, with a $35 billion UAE loan, the largest foreign direct investment in the North African country’s history. For this reason, according to Abdel Wahid, Abu Dhabi plays “an important role in Egypt’s economic stability.” Emirati investments range from real estate to ports and logistics, and even energy. Recently, Ad Ports Group—a Emirati group active in the logistics and infrastructure sectors—signed long-term concession agreements for the development and management of the terminals in Safaga, Ain Sokhna, and Arish, with estimated investments of between $1,5 and $2 billion in various phases. The projects include multifunctional terminals, logistics zones, and cruise infrastructure connected to the Suez Canal corridor.

In the energy and renewable energy sectors, Emirati companies, particularly Masdar, have invested in large-scale solar and wind projects and are participating in Egypt’s green hydrogen plans in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, supporting Cairo’s goals of expanding clean energy and attracting climate-related financing. UAE capital also maintains a strong presence in real estate, banking, and food security, with long-time developers and investors managing major residential and commercial projects, holding stakes in Egyptian financial institutions, and supporting grain storage, agrologistics, and commercial facilities.

In this context, according to official data from the Central Bureau of Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), remittances from Egyptians working in the UAE saw a significant increase in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, reaching approximately $3,6 billion, compared to $1,8 billion in the 2023-2024 fiscal year. The number of Egyptian citizens in the UAE stood at approximately 1,3 million at the end of 2024. Reflecting the momentum of economic ties, Egypt’s investments in the UAE reached approximately $1,8 billion in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, compared to approximately $1,4 billion the previous year.

@ pay scales discussed?

By 2025, Al Sisi and Bin Zayed had already held several high-level meetings. Between August and September, the Emirati president had visited Cairo and the city of El Alamein, discussing with his Egyptian counterpart bilateral cooperation, joint projects, and coordination on regional developments, including all those related to Gaza and the Palestinian cause. Previously, in June, Al Sisi had traveled to Abu Dhabi, where he discussed with Bin Zayed ways to deepen political and economic cooperation, as well as the prospects for stability in the region. The Egyptian president’s new visit to the UAE thus renewed the commitment to strengthening bilateral relations based on common interests, highlighting continued coordination amid geopolitical tensions, as well as the effort to maintain balanced relations with all major regional players.

A16 X32 X32 FROM EGYPT TODAY

Sisi, bin Zayed prioritize AI, Gaza peace in Abu Dhabi summit

By Egypt Today staff, 2/10

CAIRO - 10 February 2026: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi returned to Cairo on Monday following a high-level diplomatic visit to Abu Dhabi, where he held extensive talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on economic integration and regional security.

The visit centered on technological cooperation and regional stability. The two leaders toured the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), where Sisi reviewed the latest advancements in advanced technology and academic programming. The tour signals a growing intent to align Egypt’s digital transformation goals with the UAE’s established AI infrastructure.

Sisi emphasized Egypt’s "open-door policy" for further Emirati investment, noting that bilateral cooperation has reached an unprecedented level of coordination. In a Monday statement, Presidential Spokesman Mohamed El-Shennawy confirmed that the leaders discussed the current regional volatility, emphasizing that Arab solidarity remains the primary defense against regional escalation.

On the situation in Gaza, the presidents called for:

• The full implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the "Trump Peace Plan."

• Unrestricted humanitarian aid to the Strip, particularly ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.

• Rapid commencement of early recovery and reconstruction efforts.

• A commitment to the two-state solution as the only viable path to permanent regional security.

A17 X41 X41

From Israel hayom

Abraham Accords on brink of collapse as UAE loses patience with Netanyahu

Exclusive investigation exposes how extremist rhetoric, botched business deals, and diplomatic failures have pushed the UAE, Israel's most important Arab ally, toward the breaking point.

by Itay Ilnai Published on 02-06-2026 22:30 Last modified: 02-06-2026 22:43

If the Abraham Accords ever stood on the edge of collapse, it happened on September 9, 2025. That day, Israeli Air Force jets bombed a building in Doha, Qatar's capital, where Hamas leaders had gathered. The shockwaves from the historic strike reverberated clearly 310 miles (500 kilometers) away in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital. They violently shook the walls of President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed's palace.

"He very much disliked the fact that Israel rampages with its aircraft wherever it wants," said an Israeli official, a senior defense figure until recently, who maintains close ties with Abu Dhabi's political leadership and has met personally with bin Zayed. "It touched him."

Following the Israeli strike, the furious bin Zayed convened an emergency meeting to discuss the UAE's response options – the dominant country on the Arab side of the Abraham Accords. As Israel Hayom first reported, one option raised at the table was a dramatic decision to freeze the accords. "This was the biggest scratch the Abraham Accords have encountered until now," said another Israeli official who has maintained contact with the UAE security leadership for years.

The option to freeze the Abraham Accords did come up at that Abu Dhabi meeting, but ultimately came off the table. Still, on the Emirates' scale – skilled statesmen who usually conduct themselves in a measured and moderate manner – their response to the Doha attack was wild. "A crude and cowardly move, a reckless and aggressive act," bin Zayed described the strike in an official statement issued by the Emirati foreign ministry that same day.

The next day, Israeli defense industries' participation in the air show scheduled in Dubai was canceled, and later the Israeli ambassador, Yossi Shelley, was summoned for a reprimand. "Israel's aggressive and provocative behavior establishes an unacceptable reality," he was told.

However, the most significant diplomatic step bin Zayed took was his decision to fly the day after the Doha strike for a solidarity visit to Qatar. For bin Zayed – who marked the Muslim Brotherhood as his country's greatest enemy, participated in the Arab boycott of Qatar from 2017 to 2020, and views the Gulf state as one of the main threats to Emirati national security – the Qatar visit was a glaring message to Israel that enough is enough.

The crisis surrounding the Doha strike was indeed the peak moment – or more precisely, the low point – in relations between Israel and the UAE since signing the Abraham Accords, but it did not occur in a vacuum. An Israel Hayom investigation, based on conversations with figures in Israel and the Emirates, reveals that for a long time, the palace in Abu Dhabi has felt deep frustration and disappointment with Jerusalem, questioning the benefit they gain from the Abraham Accords. Behind this stand a series of failed economic deals, an ambassador who evokes negative emotions, extremist statements by government ministers, unclear Israeli policy regarding Gaza's future and Judea and Samaria – and no small amount of suspicion toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Emiratis themselves, in keeping with their diplomatic character, will not openly admit their displeasure with Israel, but their patience appears to be running out. A foreign figure recently asked whether the UAE's relationship with Israel is realizing its full potential responded with three words: Not even close.

BELOW THE RADAR

True, Israel has gained tremendously from the Abraham Accords and normalization with the UAE, and vice versa. The diplomatic breakthrough positioned both countries as regional powers with stability and served as a significant counterweight to Iran's expanding influence. "The Emiratis even talk in closed rooms about establishing a Middle East NATO, with Jewish and Muslim soldiers," said a former senior security official who maintains contacts with Abu Dhabi.

Economically, the Emirates ranks ninth among countries exporting to Israel in 2024, and trade between the countries totals more than 10 billion shekels ($2.8 billion) annually. The tourism industry to Dubai thrives, and it seems every other Israeli has already visited the city on the Persian Gulf's shores. Emirati airlines operate about 120 flights per month to Israel and were the only foreign carriers that did not stop flying to Ben Gurion Airport since October 7, except during security escalations such as the war with Iran.

One Israeli who recently flew to the Emirates is Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who has visited the country three times since entering office, more than any other country. As we reveal for the first time, Sa'ar's latest Emirates visit occurred a few weeks ago and has remained below the radar due to its sensitivity. Security cooperation between the countries also conducts most of its business below the radar, which has helped relations weather "tension points," according to an Emirati official.

However, from the Emirates' perspective, cooperation with Israel has exacted a heavy price. From the moment the Abraham Accords were exposed, many of their Muslim brethren have perceived them as assisting Israel in its struggle against Palestinians and Arabs. "They call us traitors," an Emirati official frankly admits. Recently, the Emirates began wondering whether this heavy price is worth clinging to the Abraham Accords.

"The Abraham Accords put the Emirates on the radar of the Iranians and other Muslim countries. For them, it was a move with many risks," said a senior figure in the cyber industry who has worked with the Emirates for many years. "But when I ask the Emiratis what they gained from the Abraham Accords, their answer is 'a 450% growth in terror attack warnings.' In the 12-day war (the June 2025 Iran-Israel conflict), for example, there were hundreds of Iranian attempts to harm Israelis on Emirati soil, and the Emiratis are overwhelmed with this.

"On the other hand, economically and politically, they are not receiving everything they can from Israel. They are in a mode where they are also being driven out of town and eating the rotten fish."

The situation has worsened since October 7, mainly due to allegations of "genocide" Israel is committing in Gaza, which echoed in the Arab world and penetrated Emirati society itself. "Senior Emiratis control their country very well, but they also hear voices from their people, who identify with the Palestinians in Gaza, and this puts a lot of pressure on them," an Israeli official said. "This pressure slows down the tightening of ties between governments and also between people."

According to a long line of experts and Israeli figures operating in the Emirates, the Abraham Accords are far from yielding the promise embedded in them. "The relationship between Israel and the Emirates has strategic national potential unlike any other, but it is being missed," one of them said.

"The potential for security-technological cooperation between Israel and the Emirates is also far from realization, and that's a shame," agreed Shalev Hulio, CEO of DREAM and one who maintains close contacts with security figures in the Emirates since his previous company, NSO's days. "The Emirates currently operates in a way very few countries know how to conduct, with long-term thinking, investment in advanced technologies, and the ability to move entire systems very quickly. If there is a country aiming to become the next 'Startup Nation,' the Emirates is definitely there."

"The UAE is not an empty ocean. The whole world is eyeing cooperation with them, and if Israel does not do so, they will cooperate with other countries. We have a lot to lose," joined an Israeli official who previously served in an official capacity in one of the Gulf states. "We have achieved much from contact with them, but if we had behaved correctly, we could have achieved twice as much. All the current government lacks is to build trust with them, really."

The basis of suspicion

The word "trust" keeps recurring in the many conversations we have had in recent weeks about Israeli-UAE relations. Usually, it is associated with the name "Netanyahu." Paradoxically, it seems the one struggling to gain the Emirates' trust is precisely the man who signed the Abraham Accords with them. One of the clearest signs of this is that, more than five years after signing the accords, Netanyahu has not been invited for an official visit to the Emirates. Even President bin Zayed's historic visit to Jerusalem, whose details had already been finalized during the previous government's tenure, was canceled by the current government.

While Netanyahu's visit to the Emirates lingers, Naftali Bennett did visit there once, as prime minister, and once about a year ago as a private citizen. On both occasions, he met with Sheikh bin Zayed. Recently, Bennett met with bin Zayed again, secretly, for the third time. Yair Lapid also visited Abu Dhabi, once as foreign minister and once as opposition leader.

According to an Emirati official, the timing of Netanyahu's official visit to Abu Dhabi has not yet been finalized. He compared it to going to the beach – "You go to the beach to enjoy, right? You would not go to the sea on a stormy day, with strong wind and rain. In the current climate it would not be right for the Emirates to invite Netanyahu for a visit. This would only fuel conspiracy theories in the Arab street that the Emirates is working hand in hand with Israel to bomb Gaza and so on."

Israeli officials we spoke with claim Netanyahu holds many shares in creating that stormy "climate." "After the Abraham Accords, in the half-year Netanyahu was still in power, relations experienced a honeymoon," said a figure who speaks with many Emiratis daily. "This continued under the Bennett-Lapid government, which enjoyed the accords' fruits. But since Netanyahu's return to power in 2022, there has been widespread suspicion toward him in the Emirates.

"When the judicial reform began, obviously, that itself did not move them. But they wanted relations with a country whose stability they understand, and suddenly they find Israel drowning in protests. Also on October 7, the Emirates' support for Israel was uncompromising. But as the fighting in Gaza continued, the IDF's aggressive conduct and lack of understanding where Israel is heading did not make them happy."

Several Israeli sources we spoke with agree that what infuriated the Emirates more than anything were extremist statements by government ministers, such as Amichai Eliyahu, who raised the possibility "to drop an atomic bomb on Gaza," and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who suggested to their Saudi neighbors "to continue riding camels in the desert."

Knesset members from Likud who called "to burn Gaza" or "starve" Gazans also did not help diplomatic relations with Abu Dhabi. The Foreign Ministry tore its hair after these statements and tried to explain to the Emiratis that Israel is a democratic country with freedom of expression, where one cannot control every minister's statement. It is not certain that this argument was understood.

"Recently, I sat with one of the emirs' sons, who told me, 'I do not understand – your ministers talk about erasing Gaza and taking over the Temple Mount. Is this really the Israeli position?'" an Israeli official said. "The Emiratis are by their definition a peace-pursuing people, truly neutral. They went with Israel into an alliance of moderates, and suddenly they find Israel as a psychotic player in the Middle East. This stresses them very much."

"In closed conversations, the Emiratis express shock and astonishment at ministers' statements, especially from right-wing parties," said Dr. Yaoz Sever, chairman of AGC consulting firm and chairman of the Israel-Gulf States Chamber of Commerce, who conducts business with the Emiratis daily. "They cannot understand whether these positions represent the people. But since the Emiratis are people who express themselves delicately, their displeasure is mainly expressed in the fact that Netanyahu has not yet been invited to the Emirates. This is the Emirates' quiet and so dignified way of telling Israel 'we are not satisfied.'"

"The rise of the current right-wing government caused significant erosion in relations," agreed Dr. Moran Zaga, lecturer and researcher at the University of Haifa and expert on Gulf states. "Businesses, official visits, and additional contacts slowed or stopped. What is being missed at the first level is the personal connection between leaders. Gulf politics is fundamentally based on personal and tribal connections, and on top of these foundations, additional layers of ideology, pragmatism, and nationalism were built. But the original structure still sets the rules.

"Look, for example, at the warm connection Trump managed to create with Saudi ruler bin Salman. Therefor,e we see to this day how certain Israeli figures receive a warm embrace, while others are pushed out. Sometimes this is expressed in preference for an Israeli opposition figure, simply because the personal connection with him is stronger."

In the complex reality of the Middle East, the October 7 war also gave Israel an opportunity to upgrade its relations with the Emirates, a country whose senior officials hate Hamas no less than we do. "October 7 shook them on insane levels," said an Israeli official who knows the Emirates well. "Hostage release is in their discourse at such a level that on the day the last hostages are released, they will stop everything and go to television. On the other hand, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is difficult for them."

The Emiratis were indeed the main force that mobilized to finance and ship humanitarian aid to Gaza during the war. This move allowed them to prove their concern for the Palestinian population while allowing Israel to continue conducting fighting in the Strip under international pressure. "The thing that succeeds most today in the Israel-UAE relationship is the humanitarian effort in Gaza. There, surprisingly, there is the most fruitful cooperation," said Dr. Zaga. "The Emirates exploit the contact with us to break through and lead the humanitarian arena in Gaza, and they are very proud of it."

At least one figure in the IDF leadership tried at the war's beginning to leverage the interest and harness the Emirates to the day-after issue. "The Emiratis were ready to train Palestinian security mechanisms' personnel so they would enter the Strip," he said. "But in Israel, the Palestinian Authority is taboo to mention. Instead, the Israeli government was finally forced to surrender to American dictates and bring Qatar and Turkey into the Strip, which support the Muslim Brotherhood and constitute one of the greatest threats to the Emirates."

In contrast, official Israeli figures claim the Emiratis are now reaping the seeds they planted in Gaza – while the Israeli government tries as much as possible to reduce Qatari and Turkish involvement in the Strip's rehabilitation, the political echelon encourages Emirati elements to enter the Strip, especially regarding education. As we now reveal, one aspiration is for the Emirates to establish in IDF-controlled areas a network of educational institutions, where they will exploit the experience they accumulated in de-radicalization to influence Gaza's next generation.

"The Emirates have a central role in the day after," one official we spoke with said. "They understood long ago that Islamic education can take the country to bad places, so they hired British and American kindergarten teachers and teachers, replaced the educational staff in the kingdom, and thus grew an educated and tolerant generation in a Muslim country. This thing can also happen in Gaza."

The Emirates are so zealous about their education that early this month it was published that they stopped government subsidies granted to students going to study at British universities due to concerns about Islamic radicalization and Muslim Brotherhood influence on students in the European country.

"To build trust bridges"

Israeli-UAE relations have already known ups and downs. In 2011, the Mossad assassinated senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel, causing a break in the secret relations conducted until then between the countries. The connection was restored mainly through a series of security deals conducted underground, including, among other things, the Emirates' purchase of NSO's "Pegasus" offensive cyber software.

Later, Israeli defense industries entered the picture, such as Rafael and Elbit. "Pegasus and the defense industries caused intimate relations to tighten between the Israeli security system and the Emirati one," an Israeli official said. "This also created a direct line between leaders. The security successes led to contacts in fields like medicine, agriculture, and energy, which required normalization agreements to realize. The sense of intimacy and need for cooperation above the radar formed the basis for the Abraham Accords."

The Abraham Accords served the Emirates not only on the practical level but also strategically. "Its main motive for entering the accords was to further expand its influence in the Levant and exploit Saudi distance from this arena," said Dr. Zaga. "In addition, Abu Dhabi leadership explained it saw the Abraham Accords as leverage for creating a diplomatic breakthrough between Israel and the Palestinians. But in practice the opposite happened."

The influence race and aspiration for an arrangement with the Palestinians were also the reasons the Emirates joined the "Negev Forum," which united Abraham Accords countries alongside the US and Egypt and aimed to advance political, security, and economic initiatives in the region. But after one publicized summit during the Bennett-Lapid government, the forum's activity ceased and was not renewed under Netanyahu's government. "This is because these countries quickly despaired after a period of tension in the Palestinian arena and difficulty creating legitimacy in the Arab street," Zaga explained.

Another regional initiative that got stuck is the "water for electricity" project, aimed at fighting the climate crisis by purchasing green electricity from Jordan in exchange for exporting desalinated water from Israel with Emirati financing. Emirati officials recently said they are very disappointed that the project is not advancing, partly due to Israeli delays. The Emirates' frustration with regional cooperation with Israel was expressed about three months ago by Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, member of the Federal National Council. At the Knesset caucus conference for promoting regional security, he scolded participants via video call – "All Israeli politicians must understand that normalization is not peace, but only an agreement on a piece of paper. What is needed is to build bridges of trust, understanding, and respect."

Although peace efforts between leaders experience turbulence, direct meetings between Israeli entrepreneurs and Emirati investors have helped strengthen ties at the private level. "The Emiratis are amazing hosts, unusually educated, men of the world, and know exactly what they want," said Dr. Sever, whose business activity is concentrated in the Gulf region. "But unlike the Israeli businessman, their main goal is not 'to bring the hit.' Despite being wealthy, the Emiratis do not like wasting money. Business with them is conducted very carefully because many people from all over the world come to the Gulf region, and Dubai in particular, thinking they will make easy money. The reality on the ground is completely different."

"The UAE is one of the best countries in the world to do business in. However, the Emirati investor is educated, sophisticated, and careful, and is likely already in business with superpowers such as the US, Russia, China, and India. Therefore, he will not invest in a deal that is not sustainable," joined Saud Sakher, an engineer and businessman resident of Abu Dhabi who invests in Israeli companies.

Saud, who came to Israel in the first delegation to leave Abu Dhabi after signing the accords, is a good example of the warm connection that can form between Israelis and Emiratis. On his first visit here he visited the Western Wall, Yeruham, and Nazareth, and on his second visit already managed to participate in two weddings, a bar mitzvah, and a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony. "I saw the Israeli community as it is, in its most distilled form – Jews, Druze, Muslims, and Christians living together. True, not everything is perfect, but overall everyone gets along," he said in a conversation conducted in English spiced with Hebrew words. "The Abraham Accords survived the test of October 7, an event that connected the Emirati people to the Israeli people. The connection between the peoples also survived the Gaza war. We want the Abraham Accords to push our countries forward."

"The UAE is not an empty ocean. The whole world is eyeing cooperation with them, and if Israel does not do so, they will cooperate with other countries. We have a lot to lose. All the current government lacks is to build trust with them, really."

"The Emiratis pride themselves on having residents from all countries in the world, and therefore they know how to give respect to every nation and religion," Sever said. "If you arrive in Dubai during Ramadan, it will be decorated accordingly; at Christmas, you will find Christmas trees there; at Hanukkah, menorahs; at Diwali, you will feel like you are in Delhi; and at Halloween, everyone on the street will be in costume. The Emiratis participate in these celebrations happily and enjoy congratulating everyone. I would not call them 'liberal' in the Western sense, but they have a lot of tolerance."

"I am experiencing stormy divorce from the perception that there is an inseparable connection between democracy and liberalism. Precisely the non-democratic countries turn out to be liberal," said another Israeli who spends much of his time in the Emirates and is in contact with Abu Dhabi leadership. One of the moves that amazed this Israeli is the Emirates' decision to reduce its dependence on oil money. "The Emirates reduced state revenues from oil to only about 25% of total state revenues, thereby cutting their dependence on natural resources," he enthused. "In other words, the UAE's success does not stem only from money but also from leadership. The Emirates is not just Burj Khalifa, a Ferrari in the yard, and fancy malls. It is also a school for strategy, geopolitics, education, and leadership.

"Everything so lacking in Israel is found there. There is education cultivating the future generation and a country managed like a good high-tech company. It is a shame that in Israel they cannot understand this and cultivate the strategic connections with them. This is a miss."

Another matter missed in strategic and personal relations with the Emirates concerns the Israeli ambassador to the country. In early 2025, Netanyahu appointed Yossi Shelley, until then Prime Minister's Office director general and formerly Israel's ambassador to Brazil, as ambassador to the Emirates. Shortly afterward, Emirati security personnel complained that Shelley treated them disrespectfully. Israeli media even reported that following this, bin Zayed demanded Shelley be replaced with another ambassador and threatened to expel him from the country.

"They put a terrible ambassador there who almost ruined relations," an Israeli official in contact with the Abu Dhabi palace said. "They looked at him and said, 'What, are the Israelis idiots? Is this who they sent here?' This is another example of how the state is missing the strategic connection with the Emirates." Several officials we spoke with claim that since the affair, Shelley struggles to fulfill his mission. "He does manage to mediate business and economic contacts, but he has no access to the political leadership," one of them said. "He is 'dead man walking.'"

How to proceed?

Failure to recognize the potential embedded in Israeli-UAE relations is also evident in the economic dimension. Though trade volumes between the countries have grown, the wealth is not distributed symmetrically. "In practice, the relationship is almost one-sided," said Oren Helman, CEO of the Israel-Gulf States Chamber of Commerce. "There are many Israeli companies active in the Emirates, exploiting the tax breaks there and financial investments in Israeli technology. The problem is that it is hard to bring the Emiratis to Israel."

In this situation, the State of Israel is losing considerable tax revenue. Several huge investments the Emirates tried to make in Israel also ended in disappointment from the Emirati perspective. This happened for example when the DP World group, controlled by Dubai government, withdrew from the tender to privatize Haifa port after its participation was disqualified for security reasons, and when the decision by Emirati funds to invest $2.3 billion in purchasing parts of the Phoenix Group was blocked due to regulatory restrictions Israel imposed. In both cases it was explained after the fact that canceling the deals stemmed from concern that Israeli pension funds and strategic assets would be managed by a foreign country, especially an Arab one. The Emirates did not like this explanation.

The enormous investment the Emirates planned in the EAPC (Europe Asia Pipeline Company), a project that would significantly increase fuel transport capacity between Eilat and Ashkelon, also came to nothing, this time due to civil-environmental protest, something the Emiratis are a bit less accustomed to. "I am not entering Israel's strategic interests; it is possible the considerations for canceling these investments were justified," said Dr. Zaga, "but because of this and additional reasons, the Abraham Accords are now perceived in the Arab world as a process in decline, despite their survival and despite continuing cooperation."

As Israel aspires to expand the Abraham Accords and recruit Saudi Arabia and additional giant Muslim countries to them, Zaga proposes first concentrating on rehabilitating the existing. "To attract other countries, strong and important to Israel," she said, "there is first of all importance in improving relations and presenting a success story with the Emirates."

A18 X33 X33 FROM THE NEW ARAB

Navigating Saudi-UAE tensions, Egypt's Sisi lands in Abu Dhabi

Over the past decade, relations between Abu Dhabi and Cairo have strengthened considerably, with the UAE emerging as a significant investor in Egypt's economy.

By Saleh Salem 10 February, 2026

The visit came as Egyptian and Saudi national security interests collided with the policies of the UAE head-on in Yemen, Sudan and Somalia, where there is a belief that the same policies fuel fragmentation.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi paid a brief "brotherly" visit to Abu Dhabi on Monday. The trip comes amid heightened tensions over the UAE's regional policies, which pit Egypt and Saudi Arabia, on the one hand, against Abu Dhabi and its alliance with Israel and others, on the other.

From Yemen to Sudan and across the Horn of Africa, the three Arab states appear to be on a collision course that could radically alter the political and power landscape.

"These divisions among Arab states are severely undermining the collective Arab stance, particularly when a cohesive, unified Arab strategy is urgently needed to address pressing regional challenges," Egyptian political researcher Islam Mansi told The New Arab.

These same rifts, Mansi added, are fundamentally reshaping the region's political landscape.

Sisi was received at the airport by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, who took him on a tour of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Masdar City and then treated him to an open-air lunch.

A few minutes before he arrived in the UAE, the Egyptian Presidency said the visit was part of the two leaders' keenness to strengthen bilateral relations across a range of issues and crises of mutual concern.

A TURBULENT REGION

The visit came as Egyptian and Saudi national security interests collided with the UAE's policies in Yemen, Sudan, and Somalia, where there is a belief that the Emirates are fuelling fragmentation.

Reports increasingly note an emerging UAE-Israel-Ethiopian alliance.

Cairo and Riyadh have already begun to pursue a counterstrategy through military action, both directly and indirectly.

In Yemen, Saudi Arabia has started pursuing an aggressive military policy to abort the secession of southern Yemen, a move championed by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council.

In Sudan, Egypt—in coordination with Turkey—has reportedly started taking direct military action against the UAE-backed paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which vie for control over the country with the Sudanese Armed Forces.

Egyptian and Saudi interests also align in Somalia, where the country's fragmentation via Somaliland in the Horn of Africa threatens the interests of Red Sea littoral states.

In his meeting with bin Zayed, Sisi described relations with the UAE as a "cornerstone" of Arab national security and regional stability, according to a statement by the Egyptian Presidency.

"There was emphasis [during the meeting] on the importance of Arab solidarity in this critical phase," the Egyptian Presidency's statement said.

"The two presidents underscored the importance of settling regional crises peacefully, in ways that preserve the unity of regional states and avoid escalation whose consequences will harm everybody," it added.

Sisi's meeting with bin Zayed occurs a day after the Egyptian leader met Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Cairo.

At a press briefing following the meeting, Sisi said his country would continue to support Somalia's unity and would not approve measures that threaten it, including recognition of the independence of any Somali territories.

His remarks came almost a month and a half after Israel recognised the independence of the breakaway Somali region of Somaliland.

Located right on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden, Somaliland can turn into a national security threat for both Egypt and Saudi Arabia, especially if it becomes a hub of Israeli and Ethiopian naval activities, experts said.

The visit also came two days after Sisi met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Cairo.

It also follows a series of consultations by the Egyptian foreign minister with a host of regional, African and international peers, including the Saudi foreign minister.

The same visit raises speculation about whether Egypt can succeed in containing Abu Dhabi and swaying it away from aligning with rival regional forces.

Saudi political analyst Omar Seif argued that Egypt's significant regional influence positions it well to shape Abu Dhabi's foreign policy decisions, particularly in contested areas of the Middle East and the Horn of Africa.

"Cairo and Abu Dhabi remain long-standing strategic allies with deep-rooted ties," Seif told TNA. "There's coordination between the two capitals across a wide range of regional and international files."

He expressed deep concern over the UAE's continued backing of what he described as "splintering militias" in Yemen, Sudan, and Somalia, as part of a strategy to secure control over critical maritime corridors in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

"Such persistent support risks destabilising the entire region," Seif warned, adding that it undermines broader Arab unity.

Saudi Arabia seems to be keen on this containment. On January 26, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan described ties with the UAE as both "vital" and "important" for regional stability and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

He also expressed Riyadh's desire for "strong and positive" relations, emphasising, however, that improved ties with the UAE depended on Abu Dhabi's complete withdrawal from involvement in Yemen.

BALANCING ACT

Egypt's alignment with Saudi Arabia against the UAE carries risks.

Relations between Abu Dhabi and Cairo have been growing steadily over the past decade, with the UAE becoming a major investor in the Egyptian economy.

With around $60 billion in accumulated investments, it is the largest foreign investor in Egypt, providing the Egyptian treasury with a critical supply of foreign currency—a lifeline for the economy at a difficult time when this economy continues to suffer the lingering effects of the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.

Analysts in Cairo argue that Egypt cannot stand idly by while its national interests and security are being jeopardised: in southern Yemen, which overlooks the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and consequently the southern entrance of the Red Sea; in Sudan, long viewed as Egypt's backyard and an integral part of Egyptian and Red Sea security; and Somalia which is equally important for the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

This is why Cairo has to protect its national security interests, while at the same time preserving economic and investment ties with the UAE, they added.

Mansi explained that Egypt must carefully navigate a delicate balance, safeguarding its national interests while preserving its strong ties with both Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.

"In reality, UAE investments have grown so substantial that they now form a cornerstone of the Egyptian economy," he added.

A19 X55 X55 FROM 1440

Iran Talks in Oman

Representatives from the US and Iran will meet overnight in Muscat, Oman (10 am Friday local time) for rare face-to-face talks. White House envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner are expected to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, among others.

US-Iran tensions have escalated in recent weeks amid Iran’s crackdown on protests last month. Senior Iranian officials estimate the death toll at 30,000 people or more within 48 hours—a pace seen in the September 1941 Nazi massacre at Babyn Yar. The US has sought to negotiate with Iran on two tracks: multilateral talks over Iran’s human rights violations, missile program, and support for militant groups, as well as bilateral nuclear negotiations. The delegations were scheduled to meet in Istanbul; however, Iran recently pushed to relocate talks to Oman and limit the scope to direct nuclear talks.

The meeting comes days after alleged Iranian attempts to target a US-flagged ship and aircraft carrier.

A20 X56 X56 FROM GUK

‘I saw kids being shot, women, old people’: how a massacre unfolded in one Iranian city

The Guardian has constructed a timeline for the terrible events of one night of protests in Rasht, based on first-hand accounts, video and photographs

Deepa Parent and Tess McClure. Fri 6 Feb 2026 01.00 EST

On Thursday 8 January, Iran went dark. In the midst of massive national protests, the government shut down the internet, phone calls, and almost all communication out of the country. That evening a violent crackdown began. In some cities, government forces opened fire on crowds, killing thousands – according to some estimates, possibly tens of thousands – in two days of bloodshed. The internet blackout has meant that a clearer picture of what happened – drawn from witness reports, videos, photographs and testimony from hospitals – has taken time to assemble.

When the violence began, there were demonstrations taking place in more than 200 cities, according to human rights groups. This is the story of what unfolded in one of them.

Thursday 8 January
5pm

At the moment the Iranian authorities shut down the internet, Ali*, 36, and his friends were already marching toward Shariati Street, which runs along the edge of the grand bazaar in Rasht, central Iran. By the time they reached the road, thousands of people were already there, chanting freedom slogans.

The protests had been building since Tuesday, with people from smaller surrounding cities making their way to Rasht to join them. They flocked to the city’s grand bazaar: a vibrant, historic marketplace, sprawling across a hive of interconnected streets. The market’s location near the Haj Mojtahed mosque and at the intersection of arterial city streets made it the heart of Rasht’s bustling life – and a natural hub for the demonstrators. That evening, its narrow streets were packed. “I would estimate there were more than 20,000 people surrounding the alleys and the boulevards near the bazaar,” says Ali.

People of every age were there, he says. “My friend brought along his wife and his two daughters, one nine and the other 12. We were all so happy and felt united to be together for freedom.” Even when they realised that the internet had been cut off, he wasn’t worried. “It didn’t matter if there was no internet or no calls. We were all in this together and didn’t feel any danger.”

About a kilometre north-west of Shariati Street was Siamak*, 40. He had been cautious about joining the demonstrations, saying that the atmosphere had felt heavy as crowds swelled across the city. But he understood why they were there.

“People were pushed to their limits. We couldn’t afford the basics,” Siamak says. He had been at the bazaar earlier that week, buying 2kg (4.4lb) of tangerines. They cost him 580,000 tomans, or about £3.40 – more than a day’s pay for Iranians on the minimum wage. “Everything just felt unaffordable. People just stood there, unable to buy food. That triggered the anger,” he says.

As he drove through the city, Siamak saw old people, children, entire families joining the march. Groups of teenagers jumped out of cars and headed to the market. “I lowered the window of my car and told them, ‘May god protect you, I hope you are safe.’” But as the day wore on, he felt reassured that the people were strong in numbers. “By Thursday afternoon, the conversations changed,” he says. “People felt ashamed for staying home. Parents spoke about their children and still said, ‘Why shouldn’t we go?’ It was no longer about money. It was about dignity.” He, too, joined the thronging crowds.

8pm

As night fell over the bazaar and surrounding streets, no one was going home. Making your way through the crowds took time. From Moallem Boulevard, about 15 minutes’ walk from the bazaar, Siamak had slowly wound his way through sidestreets to Rasht’s Municipality Square, which lies on the same block as the market. He climbed up to a rooftop to get a view. “The crowd was massive,” he says. Every street was packed.

Over on Shariati Street, Ali and his friends chanted slogans as they got closer to the alleys near the bazaar. The atmosphere felt jubilant, Ali says – when suddenly, he felt something shift. “The feeling of victory turned to fear,” he says, “I can’t explain the seconds before the catastrophe. I can’t explain how that felt. Our hearts were racing. We were being surrounded by security forces and plainclothes officers with masks.” He saw a set of white Toyota Hilux vehicles with machine guns making their way into the crowds. Even at this point, he says, he and his friends were not really afraid – they could not imagine what was to come next.

From just outside the market, Siamak recognised the sounds of shooting.

“I heard explosions and nonstop gunfire coming from the direction of the bazaar. People started running out toward the surrounding streets. Some were screaming. Some were bleeding. From them, we learned what was happening inside,” he says.

Soon, he smelled smoke and saw a red light in the sky. A fire was engulfing the market.

8.30pm

Ali thinks it was probably about 8.30pm when he spotted that the market was burning. It is not clear exactly where, when and how the flames started, but “the fire spread rapidly”, he says. “People inside were in a dilemma, whether to run towards us or to save those in the fire. As soon as the smoke started to spread, and we were trying to make space, we saw huge crowds fleeing the fire and running towards the street.” Then, the security forces began to shoot.

“The security forces began shooting at the fleeing crowds,” he says. “I saw people being shot directly in the head, with AK47, G3 and also Dushka guns. It was as if you could see how hell burns. I still can’t explain to you what I saw.” One group of guards started firing in his direction, and Ali and his friends ran for cover.

As crowds poured out of the market and into surrounding streets, Siamak asked those fleeing what was happening. “They said the municipal market and bazaar had been set on fire. Firefighters were not allowed to enter. The bazaar’s narrow alleys trapped people. When the fire spread, people were forced to choose: stay inside and burn, or come out.

“When they came out, they were shot.”

Iran’s state media says the bazaar and one of its mosques were “burned down by foreign-backed rioters”. Outside the market, Ali says he was witnessing a massacre first-hand.

Sookhte Tekiyeh mosque, which was gutted by fire when Rasht Grand Bazaar burned down during Iran’s January 2026 protests.

“I can’t, I really can’t find the words to tell you what I saw. People were trying to stop the fire, but there was a group of plainclothes people who attacked crowds trying to put out the fire and the same group stopped the firefighters from entering the bazaar. They had completely trapped people and also shot those who fled.”

Ali says the bazaar was already on fire when he saw the Haj Mojtahed mosque engulfed by flames.

“I still can’t analyse in my head what happened in front of my eyes. I saw kids being shot, women, old people … I can’t tell you. I saw lots of them shot in their head and blood pouring out on the streets,” he says. Security forces and armed, plainclothes men “went behind those fleeing, shot them – it was like they chased the ashes and burned the ashes down too”.

“I will never recover from what I witnessed. Never again, do I want to see this in my life.”

9pm-midnight

For Siamak, the aftermath was as catastrophic as the initial chaos. “I saw people collapsing on the streets leading away from the bazaar,” he says. “Shooting came from multiple directions. There were loud explosions, what people called sound bombs. White Toyota Hilux vehicles filled with masked forces were positioned under bridges and at exits.”

Word spread that those who survived the first shots inside the bazaar were being “finished off” by men with guns if they got out. “They didn’t let the wounded live,” he says, overcome with emotion.

Hundreds of people are estimated to have died in the flames as the bazaar burned, while others were allegedly shot as they fled. Photograph: Courtesy of Tavaana

A number of human rights groups have reported that authorities did not allow fire engines to access the bazaar to put out the flames until after midnight. As the shops and houses burned, Ali and Siamak retreated from the chaos, but returned later that night to see what remained.

2am

It has been reported that fire engines were not permitted proper access to the bazaar until after midnight.

In the early hours of the morning, Ali and his friends went back to check on the streets surrounding the bazaar. It looked like about 500 shops had been burned and patches of flames were still burning, he says. “It looked like the city was burning to ashes. It was like a bad dream.” Some bodies had been carried from the ruins and lay on the streets, burned beyond recognition.

“I don’t think there’s any way [families could identify their loved ones], other than a DNA test,” he says.

At the city’s hospitals and clinics, the injured were flooding in. According to a doctor [not named due to fear of reprisals] who compiled reports from emergency department doctors in Rasht, the hospitals received “hundreds of burn victims from the Rasht bazaar area, including bodies recovered with partial charring and patients with extensive third- and fourth-degree burns who died in subsequent days”. They also reported “hundreds of patients presenting with combined gunshot and burn injuries, consistent with individuals being shot while fleeing the burning area”.

The pattern of injuries and fatalities documented by medics, the doctor says, “resembles what might be expected in urban combat scenarios rather than conventional crowd-control”.

DAWN

When Ali went back to look again at about 5am, the bodies on the streets had been removed.

What happened in Rasht “leaves no doubt about the authorities’ intentions,” says Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights. “The city was turned into a killing field; people were hunted in alleys, shot in the streets, burned out of hiding places, and executed when wounded. This was a clear example of a crime against humanity under international law.”

For Siamak, who has since fled the country, the memory of what happened – and what families faced in the following days – is agonising. “Families were forced to pay large sums to retrieve bodies,” he says. “Those who couldn’t pay lost them.” Some families hid bodies in cars overnight. Others buried loved ones secretly – sometimes in gardens, sometimes in unmarked graves.

“After the massacre, the city felt destroyed,” he says. “No internet. No communication. Everywhere I went, I heard that someone else had died. It felt like prison – total isolation.”

*Names have been changed to protect identities

A21 X51 X51 1 hr 9 min ago @CNN @to 260213

White House says Iran talks still on after Tehran requested changes

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

Talks between the US and Iran will proceed this week, despite changes requested by Tehran to the venue and format, according to the White House.

“I just spoke with special envoy (Steve) Witkoff, and these talks, as of right now, are still scheduled,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in the White House driveway.

“President Trump is always wanting to pursue diplomacy first, but obviously it takes two to tango,” she went on. “You need a willing partner to achieve diplomacy, and that’s something that special envoy Witkoff is intent on exploring and discussing.”

The planned talks hit a snag Tuesday after Tehran requested they be relocated to a different city, that regional participants be excluded and that the scope of the discussions be limited to just the country’s nuclear program, CNN reported earlier.

The new demands could complicate efforts by Middle Eastern allies of the United States to broker a diplomatic solution to sky-high regional tensions.

Leavitt said Trump was still keeping open the option of military strikes if diplomacy fails.

“The president has a range of options on the table with respect to Iran as commander in chief,” she said.

A22 X53 X53 @CNN @to 260213

1 hr 44 min ago

Iran asks for changes to planned talks with US, throwing new wrench in diplomatic efforts

From CNN's Kevin Liptak, Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood

Talks between the US and Iran planned for later this week hit a snag Tuesday after Tehran requested they be relocated, that regional participants be excluded, and that the discussions’ scope be limited to the country’s nuclear program, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The new demands could complicate efforts by Middle Eastern allies of the United States to broker a diplomatic solution to sky-high regional tensions.

The talks had been set for Istanbul, with foreign ministers from Egypt, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also expected to attend.

Tehran is now asking for an alternate location: Oman, the small Gulf sultanate that has previous hosted talks between the US and Iran.

Iran is also stipulating the talks be conducted bilaterally, without the other nations’ representatives.

And it has requested the scope of the discussions be limited to the nuclear issue. The US has said its demands for Iran extend beyond an end to its nuclear program to curbing its ballistic missiles and ending support for regional proxy groups.

What the changes — first reported by Axios — portend for the diplomatic efforts wasn’t clear. Already, some American officials had privately warned that Iran may be using diplomacy to play for time in preventing military action.

The two US participants in the discussions — foreign envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — arrived in the region on Tuesday for talks with Israeli officials.

Trump said Monday that talks were ongoing but continued to point to the large military buildup in the region as evidence of his willingness to order strikes.

“Right now we’re talking to them. We’re talking to Iran, and if we can work something out that’ll be great, and if we can’t, probably bad things would happen,” he said.

A23 X52 X52 1 hr 24 min ago @CNN @to 260213

US aircraft carrier shoots down Iranian drone that "aggressively approached" the ship, military says

From CNN's Natasha Bertrand

A US aircraft carrier shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively approached” the ship in the Arabian Sea today, hours before two gunboats operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps approached a US-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to board and seize the ship, according to a US military spokesperson.

The two incidents occurred days before US and Iranian officials are due to meet Friday for diplomatic negotiations meant to avert a military clash.

In the first incident: US forces shot down an Iranian drone “as the unmanned aircraft aggressively approached” the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which was transiting the Arabian Sea about 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast, said Capt. Tim Hawkins, a US Central Command spokesperson.

“The Iranian drone continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by US forces operating in international waters,” Hawkins said. An F-35C fighter jet from the Lincoln shot down the drone to protect the carrier and its personnel, he said.

“No American service members were harmed during the incident, and no U.S. equipment was damaged,” Hawkins said.

The second incident: Hours later, two Iranian gunboats approached the M/V Stena Imperative — a chemical tanker operated by Americans flying under the US flag in the Strait of Hormuz — passing the ship three times at high speeds as an Iranian Mohajer drone also flew overhead, said Hawkins. During one of their passes, the Iranians threatened via radio call that they would board and seize the tanker. The tanker was in international waters, Hawkins said.

US military forces operating in the area responded when they learned of the Iranian threats. The USS McFaul destroyer escorted the tanker away from the area along with defensive air support from the US Air Force, Hawkins added. The situation de-escalated as a result.

A24 X54 X54 FROM US NEWS USE A

It’s February 05, 2026.

In today's edition:

· U.S.-Iran tensions, explained

· Making grad school affordable

· What to know about Medicare

The U.S. May Soon Strike Iran. That’s a Big Deal.

The timeline of a U.S. airstrike on Iranian nuclear facilities is displayed during a press conference.

(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

For months, the United States has built up its military presence within striking range of Iran, and it now has what President Donald Trump calls a “massive armada” of ships and planes ready to attack if negotiations this week fail to yield a breakthrough.

So far, things on the diplomatic front seem a bit bleak. Iran says the talks should only cover its nuclear program. The United States says Tehran’s missile program, support for proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah, and repression of its people ought to be topics of conversation as well.

The talks appear to be set for Friday in Oman. But the two sides seem to be far apart, and tensions are running high: The U.S. Navy recently shot down an Iranian drone and chased off Iranian speedboats that had surrounded a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

Here are five questions about the possibility of U.S. military action against Iran itself, the odds of which are not low.

How Will It Affect You?

Unless you’re a member of the military or live in the Middle East, a U.S. strike on Iran may feel remote or abstract. It isn’t. Already, the tensions with Iran have sent oil prices higher. An actual conflict would do much more of the same.

About a fifth of all oil traded on global markets passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which is just 21 miles at its narrowest point – a tight corridor between Iran and Oman. Most oil shipments that reach the world through the strait have “no alternative means of exiting the region,” according to the Energy Information Administration.

Most of the fossil fuels that transit the strait head to Asia. But energy markets are global markets, meaning that a supply disruption would cause a spike in energy costs in the U.S. and most everywhere.

Will the U.S. Strike?

This is obviously the central question. The U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities last June, so there is precedent for Trump pulling the trigger.

In an interview with NBC on Wednesday, the president said Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "should be very worried." And Trump has seemed unimpressed with Khamenei warning that an attack on Iran would trigger a “regional war.”

“We have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, very close, couple of days (away), and hopefully we’ll make a deal,” Trump said Sunday. “We don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right.”

What’s the ‘Deal’?

Earlier this year, Trump said he supported the thousands of anti-regime demonstrators who swarmed the streets to denounce Khamenei’s regime. But while he hinted at military action, he appears not to have given the green light.

The two sides disagree about what the talks will cover. Iran insists it’s only about its nuclear program. The United States disagrees (though Trump in late January only cited nuclear weapons as a possible casus belli, or justification for war.)

“In order for talks to actually lead to something meaningful, they will have to include certain things,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday. “And that includes the range of their ballistic missiles. That includes their sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region. That includes the nuclear program, and that includes the treatment of their own people.”

WOULD AMERICA GO FOR REGIME CHANGE?

It’s something of an open question, though the president’s sympathies appear clear.

In a January interview with Politico, Trump declared: “It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran.” Days earlier, he had told anti-regime protesters via social media: “KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!... HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”

But the regime cracked down. Estimates of how many people were killed in the streets vary. But they run in the thousands.

As always, the question is, what’s the plan for regime change day plus one? In Venezuela, Trump left the repressive regime intact (after capturing the country’s president).

HOW WOULD IRAN RESPOND?

Iran has rarely been weaker. U.S. and Israeli strikes last year are thought to have set back its nuclear program. And its traditional proxies – like Hamas in Gaza or Hezbollah in Lebanon – have been badly debilitated by Israeli operations over the past two years.

Its capacity to create regional mayhem is much less impressive than it was. But that doesn’t mean an attack on a tanker would not be potentially destabilizing for markets, something Trump has shown he is sensitive to.

That’s what the U.S. has to weigh.

A25 X61 X61 from politico
Trump’s crypto ties pose growing obstacle on Capitol Hill

A long-standing policy priority for the cryptocurrency industry is on the brink of running into a Donald Trump problem.

By Declan Harty and Jasper Goodman 02/05/2026 04:45 AM ESTUpdated: 02/05/2026 11:05 AM EST

A new controversy over President Donald Trump’s ties to the cryptocurrency industry is sharpening Democratic demands that a sweeping digital assets bill include a provision reining in the first family’s crypto empire. @get/find

Even as the White House presses Congress to pass the industry-friendly legislation, the Trump family’s growing crypto businesses are emerging as an unavoidable obstacle after news that an Abu Dhabi royal backed a $500-million investment in a Trump-linked venture called World Liberty Financial.

00:00

The Abu Dhabi deal, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal, is hardening Democrats’ resolve to include ethics guardrails in the bill and setting up a major standoff. And because Republicans will need Democratic votes to pass the legislation, it’s giving lawmakers on the left a rare point of leverage to address long-festering ethics concerns about the Trump family’s business dealings.

“It has created more of a sense of moral urgency for us to have ethics as part of this,” said Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who is considered a pro-crypto Democrat. “The Trump administration has demonstrated the grossest, most egregious corruption from the White House we have ever seen.”

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who has been involved in negotiations over the legislation, said the bill needs to include ethics language that doesn’t “treat the president differently than any other federal employee.” “If anybody needed another reminder, they just got it,” he added.

The coming clash will mark a major test of bipartisan dealmaking in the Trump era. Both Republicans and Democrats have made clear their appetite for passing the bill. Yet, to do so, Democrats who have loudly expressed outrage over the first family’s crypto dealings will need to strike a deal with a White House that has rejected the notion that Trump faces any conflicts of interest from his family’s and friends’ businesses.

Hanging over it all is the massive war chest that crypto firms have built to spend on industry-friendly candidates and lawmakers — and against those who oppose the bill. If the White House won’t budge on an ethics provision that is acceptable to the left, Democrats could still face political pressure to support the bill due to the money looming over the 2026 midterm elections. Fairshake — a crypto super PAC group backed by industry giants like Coinbase, Ripple and Andreessen Horowitz — recently disclosed that it has more than $190 million on hand heading into the midterms.

A yearslong industry priority, the so-called crypto market structure bill, would divvy up oversight of crypto trading in the U.S. between Wall Street regulators. Crypto executives and lobbyists who have been fighting for such legislation say it would finally provide the market with the needed regulatory legitimacy for digital assets to become part of the financial mainstream. The Senate Agriculture Committee, which is in charge of one-half of the bill, advanced its portion last month in a party-line vote, while the Senate Banking Committee is still working through its part.

Yet, with the support of at least seven Democratic senators needed, the bill’s fate could ultimately hinge on whether Republicans and the White House will agree to separate Trump and his family from their rising crop of lucrative crypto ventures.

Democrats, led by Schiff and Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, have negotiated for months with Republicans and White House officials over ethics language. But they’ve been unable to clinch a deal, and talks are now in a lull as the White House works to solve other outstanding issues with the bill.

Republicans have largely brushed aside the concerns about the Trump family’s businesses, but have shown a willingness to strike an ethics deal in order to unlock bipartisan support for the so-called market structure bill. They have largely deferred to the White House on what an acceptable compromise would look like. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a crypto-friendly Wyoming Republican who has been involved in the ethics negotiations, said in an interview she views concerns about the Abu Dhabi investment in World Liberty as just “another attack on Trump that is pretty baseless, to be honest.”

“How far do you have to separate yourself from the financial decisions of your children before you take serious criticism?” Lummis said.

But even Lummis acknowledges the Abu Dhabi deal presents a new headache. “It does,” she said. “But it shouldn’t.”

Indeed, Gallego said the deal “reinforces why we have to have ethics as part of the final market structure bill.”

The Abu Dhabi deal centered on World Liberty, a crypto venture that Trump and his sons rolled out in the heat of the 2024 presidential race. Under the terms, a company backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan acquired a 49 percent stake in World Liberty for the $500 million investment — $187 million of which went to Trump-affiliated entities, The Wall Street Journal reported.

A World Liberty spokesperson, David Wachsman, has since confirmed the deal in a statement while noting that Trump was not involved in the transaction and currently has no role with the company. Wachsman added on Wednesday that “World Liberty Financial is not a political organization.”

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement that Trump “only acts in the best interests of the American public — which is why they overwhelmingly re-elected him to this office, despite years of lies and false accusations against him and his businesses from the fake news media.” @ ie the WSJ?? White House counsel David Warrington said Trump “has no involvement in business deals that would implicate his constitutional responsibilities.”

“President Trump performs his constitutional duties in an ethically sound manner and to suggest [otherwise] is either ill-informed or malicious,” Warrington said.

The investment has, nonetheless, spurred new ire about Trump’s expanding crypto empire.

Democrats and ethics experts have repeatedly raised concerns about Trump-linked crypto dealings over the last 18 months. But the Abu Dhabi deal, for many, stands apart.

“We’ve all become a little inured to Trump and Trump family conflicts of interest and transgressions of traditional norms,” said Robert Weissman, co-president of the liberal-leaning consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. “But this is categorically different than anything that has come before and fundamentally compromising of our foreign policy. Hopefully, this reality will, at minimum, spur inclusion of ethics provisions in the bill.”

Billionaire GOP megadonor Ken Griffin, when asked about the deal at an event Tuesday, said “this administration has made missteps in choosing decisions or courses that have been very, very enriching to the families of those in the administration.”

“And that calls into question: Is the public interest being served?” said Griffin, who applauded other moves from the administration during his remarks. “There’s just a necessity for us as a society to reembrace some of the critical concepts of ethics in public services.”

Rep. Ro Khanna of California — the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the U.S. and China — wrote in a letter to World Liberty co-founder Zach Witkoff on Thursday that he has launched an investigation into the deal. Khanna also pressed U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wallace of Delaware to probe the transaction in a separate letter.

In response to an inquiry about Khanna’s letters, Wachsman, the World Liberty spokesperson, said, “These lawmakers are harassing a private American business to score political points. ... This is a baseless assault.”

Sen. Bernie Moreno, a Ohio Republican who sits on the Banking Committee, said Thursday at an event in Washington that lawmakers have “no business” writing rules regulating presidential ethics, given that they are already laid out in the Constitution. “It’s all distraction,” he added.

Ethics is just one part of the to-do list still surrounding the bill — and far from a new one. Lawmakers and the White House are also working to resolve a lobbying clash between banks and crypto firms that has split Republicans and jeopardized the bill’s path to advancing out of the Banking Committee.

But the ethics issue is likely to be in the spotlight if the bill moves toward the Senate floor. And the new Trump deal is giving more fuel to crypto critics.

“Every time the crypto industry has tried to move their bill forward, a lot of folks in Congress who want to support it have had to look the other way on the ethics issue,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Banking Committee. “This latest apparent bribe from the UAE, that puts our national security at risk, means that crypto supporters now have to overlook an even taller steaming pile of corruption.”

A26 X64 X64 from abc

White House faces questions over UAE royal's investment in Trump family's crypto firm

The controversy centers on a reported $500 million deal with an Emirati royal.

By Lucien Bruggeman and David Brennan February 2, 2026, 10:12 AM

But the Journal's report adds yet another wrinkle to the U.S. decision to sell highly coveted advanced chips to the Emiratis.

Trump family crypto venture tapped as part of $2B Emirati-backed investment deal

Shiekh Tahnoon, who is the brother of the UAE's president, also serves as MGX's chairman.

The Biden administration declined to provide the UAE with the chips, which power some of the most sophisticated weapons on the planet, for fear they might be redirected into China.

Peter Wildeford, the head of policy at the AI Policy Network, a nonpartisan advocacy group, warned that could close the U.S.'s advantage in the AI race and compromise American security.

Ethics experts said the concept of a foreign government official secretly directing hundreds of millions of dollars to a company owned in part by the president has no known precedent -- and raises a host of ethical and national security concerns.

"President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children," Kelly added. "There are no conflicts of interest."

The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Questions grow over UAE royal’s investment in Trump family’s crypto firm

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., issued a statement calling the deal "corruption, plain and simple."

"Foreign countries are bribing our president to sell out the American people," Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., claimed in a post to X.

MGX is also one of the few companies with a major ownership stake in the new TikTok U.S. joint venture, with a 15% stake in the new entity.

ABC News' Selina Wang contributed to this report.

A27 X70 blockchain – get or...

A28 X72 X72 FROM FORBES

DUPE: FROM A6 USE EXCERPTS

Binance—Whose Founder Was Pardoned—Now Holds 87% Of Trump’s Stablecoin

By Zach Everson, Feb 09, 2026, 02:37pm ESTFeb 10, 2026, 01:35pm EST

CONTRA

CRUCIAL QUOTE

“It’s rare to see @heyibinance highlight a project,” World Liberty Financial co-founder and COO Zak Folkman posted on X after the promotion was announced.

Binance’s Usd1 Holding Stands Out Among Top Stablecoins

Forbes analysis

Key Background

WHAT IS TRUMP’S LINK TO WORLD LIBERTY FINANCIAL?

World Liberty Financial, which launched in September 2024, was “inspired by the vision of Donald J. Trump” and lists him as its co-founder emeritus, alongside co-founders Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Barron Trump. An LLC affiliated with Trump and some family members owns about 38% of World Liberty Financial and 22.5 billion $WLFI tokens and the LLC is entitled to 75% of the proceeds from sales of $WLFI, per the small print on its website. Trump reported making $57.4 million from World Liberty Financial on his latest financial disclosure, which appears to cover the 12 months ending in December 2024, income he receives through the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust. He is its sole donor and beneficiary, while Donald Trump Jr. serves as the trustee. The Trump Organization confirmed in an April regulatory filing in the United Kingdom that Trump retains control over his businesses while in office.

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW

SURPRISING FACT

HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY OF TRUMP CRYPTO DEALINGS

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN $WLFI AND USD1?

BIG NUMBER

235 million: The amount of $WLFI tokens World Liberty Financial transferred to Binance, ostensibly to fund the promotion.

TANGENT

FORBES VALUATION

Forbes estimates Donald Trump is worth about $6.4 billion today, an increase of about $2.1 billion since his election to a second term in November 2024. World Liberty Financial's token added about $1 billion to his net worth, as of October 2025.

Forbes Why The Trump-UAE Crypto Deal Made No Financial Sense—For The Emiratis By Kyle Khan-Mullins

Forbes Trump Billionaires Club: New Game Adds Utility To His Struggling Meme CoinBy Zach Everson

Forbes Trump-Linked Crypto Firm Alt5 Sigma Shakes Up Leadership Amid SEC Filing Questions By Zach Everson

Forbes As Trump Defends Foreign Workers, His Company Sought Record Number In 2025

Binance.US is the crypto trading platform for US residents where you can buy, sell, and trade cryptocurrencies and alt coins with some of the lowest fees in ...

Binance

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Binance

Binance Holdings Ltd., branded Binance, is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of daily trading volume of cryptocurrencies. Binance was founded in ...Read more

@get finish

Binance Holdings Ltd., branded Binance, is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of daily trading volume of cryptocurrencies. Binance was founded in 2017 by Changpeng Zhao. Binance was initially based in China, then moved to Japan, subsequently left Japan for Malta, and currently has no official company headquarters. According to data from blockchain analytics company Arkham Intelligence, Binance is the largest crypto-holding entity in the world with over $200 billion in digital assets.^[8]

Binance has been the subject of lawsuits and challenges from regulatory authorities.^[9] As a result, Binance has been banned from operating or ordered to cease operations in some countries, and has been issued fines. On 21 November 2023, Binance pled guilty to violating U.S. anti–money laundering rules and paid a $4.3 billion dollar fine.^[10] The UK's Financial Conduct Authority ordered Binance to stop all regulated activity in the United Kingdom in June 2021.^[11] In March 2025, Wall Street Journal uncovered that the company was in talks with the family of Donald Trump about business dealings.^[12] In August 2025, Wall Street Journal found that Binance was quietly administering a trading platform for the Trump family's World Liberty Financial.^[13] The company paid lobbyists $800,000 to lobby for a pardon from Trump for Binance founder Changpeng Zhao.^[10] In October 2025, President Trump pardoned Zhao.^[14][15]

A28 X68 X68 FROM GUK

Trump’s family is embroiled in a $500m UAE scandal. We’ve hardly noticed

Mohamad Bazzi

A crypto startup founded by Trump’s family signed a huge deal with the UAE president’s brother. Where’s the political fallout?

Fri 6 Feb 2026 10.00 EST

Days before Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, an investment firm controlled by a senior member of the United Arab Emirates royal family secretly signed a deal to pay $500m to buy almost half of a cryptocurrency startup founded by the Trump family. Under any other president, such an arrangement, which was revealed this past weekend by the Wall Street Journal, would cause a political earthquake in Washington. There would be demands for an investigation by Congress, televised hearings and months of damage control.

But this latest example of corruption involving Trump and his family business hardly made a blip over the past few days, relegated to a passing headline in a relentless news cycle often dominated by Trump’s actions and statements.

This scandal deserves our attention: a half-billion-dollar transaction with a foreign government official, executed in the shadow of Trump’s inauguration, which directly enriched the president and his family. The deal to acquire a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, the crypto company founded by the Trump family and several allies in the fall of 2024 during Trump’s presidential campaign, was backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, one of the most powerful officials in the UAE. Known as the “spy sheikh”, Tahnoon is the brother of the UAE’s president and serves as national security adviser. He also oversees one of the largest investment empires in the world, serving as chair of two Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth funds, which have $1.5tn in assets, and G42, a firm focused on artificial intelligence.

It’s time to defund the oligarchy and invest in the American people

Read more

It’s dizzying to keep up with the ways that Trump has monetized the presidency and used it for personal profit in his second term. The Trump Organization, run by the president’s sons, has negotiated foreign real estate deals worth billions of dollars, some of which involve private companies backed by governments of the three wealthiest Arab petrostates: Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. In May, as Trump prepared to visit the Middle East, Qatar’s government donated a $400m luxury Boeing jet, which is being refitted by the US military so Trump can use it as Air Force One. It was probably the most expensive gift from a foreign government in US history – and Trump has said the plane will be transferred to his presidential library when his term ends in 2029, meaning he could still use it after he leaves the White House.

In late May, the president hosted a private dinner at his Virginia golf club for the 220 largest buyers of his memecoin, called $Trump, which is a type of cryptocurrency connected to an online joke or mascot and has no inherent value. The top 25 buyers in the crypto contest got invited to a VIP reception with Trump and a White House tour. In all, the Trump family’s crypto business raked in about $148m from the contest, most of it from foreign or anonymous buyers. The top spender was Justin Sun, a Chinese crypto billionaire who bought more than $20m worth of Trump’s memecoins. (In February 2025, a few weeks after Trump took office, the Securities and Exchange Commission suspended a civil fraud case it had brought against Sun in 2023 – leading to accusations that he was getting favorable treatment because he had invested $75m in another of the Trump family’s crypto projects. A spokesperson for Sun said he had “not requested special treatment, nor conditioned any commercial activity on regulatory decisions”.)

Despite the sheer scale of these conflicts surrounding Trump over the past year, the $500m deal involving World Liberty and the UAE’s Tahnoon is “the only known case of a foreign government official purchasing a major stake in a Trump company after his election”, as the Journal reported. By intertwining his personal fortune with the ruling families of the Gulf, Trump has compromised his ability – and the ability of his entire administration – to negotiate foreign policy and act as an honest broker. How can Washington credibly pressure the UAE on its role fueling a civil war in Sudan, when the Emirates’ national security adviser is a business partner of the US president?

Over the past decade, Tahnoon has steered foreign policy negotiations with the US over major issues including fighting terrorism, economic investments and securing UAE access to advanced computer technology. In March, he visited Washington and met with Trump, gaining access to top cabinet members and being feted at a White House dinner – honors normally bestowed on a visiting head of state. The public did not know about the secret deal Tahnoon’s investment firm had signed two months earlier with the Trump family’s crypto company.

The revelations also underscore why Trump’s foray into crypto has turned into the most lucrative, and dangerous, way for him to profit from the presidency. After Trump’s first term, his family business expanded beyond a real estate conglomerate that licensed the Trump brand to hotels, golf resorts and residential towers around the world – it now includes media platforms such as Truth Social and various crypto ventures. Overall, the Trumps generated $1.4bn from crypto projects over the past year, making up almost a fifth of the family’s estimated fortune of $6.8bn, according to Bloomberg.

These crypto ventures are particularly ripe for exploitation because they allow Trump and his family to collect hundreds of millions of dollars from foreign investors and government officials who would usually have a difficult time channeling money to a US politician. Trump is not only enriching himself through the presidency, he’s tapped into an industry that is rife with fraud and a lack of transparency. Within months of returning to office, the Trump administration began to deregulate the industry and ordered the justice department to disband a national unit dedicated to investigating crypto-related fraud, which was set up in 2022 under Joe Biden’s administration.

It’s dizzying to keep up with the ways that Trump has monetized the presidency and used it for personal profit in his second term

While the infusion of $500m into World Liberty Financial last year was a great deal for Trump and his family, it didn’t make much financial sense for Tahnoon, the UAE royal who engineered the investment into a fledgling crypto firm that was doing little business before Trump took office. So what did the UAE get in return for its money?

It seems the authoritarian monarchy got the keys to unlock the future of artificial intelligence. Tahnoon’s secret investment turned out to be one of two large transactions last year involving the Trump family’s crypto company and the UAE government. At a crypto conference in Dubai in May, Trump’s son Eric and a business partner, Zach Witkoff (who is also the son of Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy to the Middle East), announced that MGX, another company chaired by Tahnoon, would invest $2bn using a stablecoin issued by World Liberty. A stablecoin is a type of digital currency that maintains a price of $1, and the MGX transaction could generate tens of millions of dollars in interest revenue for the president and his family each year.

At the crypto convention, Zach Witkoff hailed the MGX deal as an endorsement of World Liberty’s capabilities as a tech startup. But he failed to disclose that the two companies shared major investors and were being led by some of the same executives. Tahnoon’s earlier $500m investment enabled him to name two members of World Liberty’s board – and those two directors also served on the MGX board, according to the Journal’s investigation.

Two weeks after MGX’s $2bn investment in the Trump family’s crypto firm, the Trump administration allowed the UAE to buy hundreds of thousands of advanced computer chips critical for AI development. The chips are made by US companies, especially Nvidia, and the Biden administration had restricted how many chips certain foreign countries can buy to prevent the technology from being misused. But Trump scrapped those restrictions.

Some US national security officials objected to selling advanced chips to the UAE and worried that Emirati companies would share them with China, which could use the technology to enhance its military systems. In an investigation published in September, the New York Times revealed that the UAE’s negotiations with the Trump administration over access to AI chips involved Steve Witkoff and Tahnoon – and intersected with the Emirates’ investment in the Trump (and Witkoff) families’ crypto venture.

The White House insists that there was no connection between the World Liberty crypto transaction and the administration’s decision to sell AI technology to the UAE – and claims that Trump and Witkoff have no conflict of interest because they have stepped aside from their family businesses. “The president has no involvement in business deals that would implicate his constitutional responsibilities,” the White House counsel, David Warrington, said on Sunday, after the latest revelations about the UAE royal’s investment in World Liberty. “President Trump performs his constitutional duties in an ethically sound manner, and to suggest so otherwise is either ill-informed or malicious.”

While Trump’s aides argue that he’s living up to the highest ethical standards, the Republican-led Congress has shown little interest in investigating an astonishing series of corrupt actions and self-enrichment that would have devastated any other presidency. And as Trump and his family tally the expanding profits from their crypto empire, the rest of us must reckon with the cost to our democracy.

· Mohamad Bazzi is director of the Center for Near Eastern Studies, and a journalism professor, at New York University

X19 ad Ramadan, Chinese new year

A29 X19 FROM TIMEOUT ABU DHABI

Break your fast under the moonlit sky this Ramadan

Enjoy traditional dishes, uninterrupted sea views, oud melodies and more

by Time Out Editors February 10, 2026

Ramadan is the time to reflect, relax and spend meaningful time with loved ones. And what better way to do it than by the shore at Saadiyat Island?

Michelin-selected Tean is the place to be this Ramadan, because as the sky turns a deep indigo and as the Arabian Sea stretches out in front of you, you’ll feel rather content.

The restaurant hosts an iftar and a suhoor that can easily be compared to a coastal retreat.

Discover how you can spend those precious moments this season at Tean.

HAVE A CELESTIAL IFTAR

The setup spills from a quiet, elegant indoor space out onto the terrace, allowing guests to break their fast under the stars.

Expect traditional dishes, complemented by Ramadan juices, tea and coffee, with select live stations, at this buffet-style dinner.

On special evenings, the low hum of oud provides the soundtrack, which makes the setting absolutely romantic.

SETTLE IN FOR A DREAMY SUHOOR

Suhoor is set inside a stunning majlis and is available from 9pm. This is the time for unhurried conversations and shared plates. Instead of a formal sit-down affair, the menu is served family-style, encouraging everyone to dig in while lingering over a steaming sulaimani.

This calm experience is focused entirely on the ritual of reconnecting without the distractions of a crowded dining room. The sea breeze and the open-air layout do the heavy lifting, making it easy to stay until the early hours.

A30 X16 X16 FROM GULF NEWS

Masters Games 2026 kicks off in Abu Dhabi with grand opening ceremony

Historic first edition in the Middle East unites athletes across generations

Last updated: February 07, 2026 | 19:46

Abdulla Rasheed, Editor – Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi: Under the patronage of Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs, Sheikh Zayed bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended the opening ceremony of the Abu Dhabi Masters Games 2026 — the first event of its kind in the Middle East.

The Games bring together more than 25,000 male and female athletes from 90 countries, competing over ten days across more than 35 sports.

The championship reflects Abu Dhabi’s central role as a global hub for hosting major sporting events and underscores the UAE’s commitment to positioning sport as a strategic pillar of sustainable human development, a key driver of family cohesion, and an enabler of quality of life, in line with the objectives of the UAE’s Year of the Family.

The opening ceremony took place at Zayed Sports City in the presence of several highnesses, excellencies and senior officials, as well as presidents and representatives of international sports federations, alongside official delegations and athletes from around the world.

The ceremony embodied Abu Dhabi’s comprehensive vision for staging global events, combining the highest standards of professionalism and organization with innovation in delivering the sporting experience and reinforcing national cultural identity — ensuring a sustainable community impact that extends beyond the sporting event itself.

Sheikh Zayed bin Mohamed affirmed that hosting the Abu Dhabi Masters Games 2026 represents a practical translation of the UAE’s strategic vision to harness sport as a comprehensive development tool, contributing to preventive health and the promotion of active lifestyles. His Highness noted that organizing this global event further consolidates Abu Dhabi’s advanced position on the international sporting events map as a global platform that brings together world-class infrastructure and sophisticated organizational expertise.

For his part, Sergey Bubka, President of the International Masters Games Association, described the Abu Dhabi Masters Games 2026 as a historic milestone, being the first edition of the Masters Games to be held in the Middle East, uniting athletes from around the world in a shared celebration of sport and active living.

He added that the Games reflect a firm belief that sport enriches our lives, bringing happiness, health and purpose at all stages of life. The diversity of participants, including athletes competing across different age groups, sends a clear global message that passion for sport knows no limits. He noted that Abu Dhabi has provided an inspiring environment that welcomes the world, supports athletes, and embodies the true spirit of the Masters movement founded on friendship, respect, and the concept of lifelong sport.

Also Read:Rita Ora and Leona Lewis headline Open Masters Games Abu Dhabi

Artistic performance

The opening ceremony featured an integrated artistic performance presenting symbolic storytelling inspired by Emirati heritage and the deep human connection to movement, discipline and challenge. It portrayed the athlete’s journey as a continuous life path across different stages of age, built on commitment, belonging and purpose, reinforcing the official slogan of the Abu Dhabi Masters Games, “United by Sport, Living an Active Life,” in line with the event’s message of promoting sport as a way of life for individuals and families.

More than 25,000 athletes from over 92 nationalities and countries are participating in the Abu Dhabi Masters Games 2026, competing over ten days in more than 35 sports, including six traditional Emirati sports. The event reflects international confidence in Abu Dhabi’s organizational capabilities and strengthens its position as a global destination for hosting major multi-sport championships and events.

Competitions will continue until 15 February 2026, with athletes aged 30 and above taking part in a wide range of modern sports alongside several heritage sports. The main competitions are being held from 7 to 14 February 2026.

Heritage sports, women’s categories and community competitions hold a central place in the Masters Games programme, reaffirming that the event goes beyond competition to serve as a platform supporting the values of the UAE’s Year of the Family. It promotes sustainable community participation, encourages families to adopt active and healthy lifestyles, and positions sport as a unifying space that strengthens intergenerational connections.

Also Read:Abu Dhabi to host the first-ever Open Masters Games in 2026

Competitions are being staged at a number of modern sports venues across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra, reflecting the emirate’s comprehensive readiness and its ability to host and organize global events according to the highest international standards, while supporting its strategy to build an integrated and sustainable sports sector.

How Abu Dhabi became a hub for sports tourism?

The haracteri committee has announced that tickets for the opening ceremony of the Abu Dhabi 2026 Masters Games have completely sold out. The Games kick off on Friday in the capital and will run until 15 February, with the participation of more than 25,000 male and female athletes representing over 92 nationalities.

These large numbers of competitors will take part in 38 different sports, including six traditional heritage sports and 13 para-sports — a first for the Middle East. This highlights the scale of the event and its potential impact on the local sports and tourism sectors.

More than 500,000 spectators expected

The haracteri committee expects attendance to exceed 500,000 spectators. Events will be hosted across 18 indoor and 20 world-class outdoor venues distributed throughout Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Al Dhafra.

Around 7,200 male and female volunteers are contributing to the haracterize of the Games, reflecting the high level of professionalism in event management. The tournament also creates significant economic opportunities for local facilities, hotels, and restaurants throughout the duration of the Games.

Abu Dhabi’s GDP expands 7.7%, non-oil economy grows 7.6% in Q3 2025

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A31X20 X19 FROM TIME OUT ABU DHABI

Abu Dhabi schools have now banned falafel – here’s why

Rules that parents need to know

by Findlay Mair February 9, 2026

The Department of Education and Knowledge in Abu Dhabi has rolled out wide-ranging restrictions on food and drinks allowed on school grounds.

A red list of banned items has been drawn up by the education authority in the capital, outlining a range of products which can no longer be consumed on school grounds – whether provided by the school or not.

Among the banned items are deep-fried foods, unhealthy drinks, high-calorie sauces and processed meats.

Banned foods listed by name in the ADEK policy include falafel, samosas, pickled vegetables, peanuts, ketchup and even zero-calorie artificially-sweetened sodas.

While deep-fried foods such as falafel have been banned, it should be noted that an oven-baked version of the popular snack would still be acceptable.

In addition to the obvious health reasons for banning high-fat foods, schools and parents were warned that certain foods could lead to hyperactivity, concentration issues and impact on sleep.

Schools have been asked to comply with the policy since the Autumn of the 2025/26 academic year, with the education authority highlighting the role schools play in promoting and encouraging healthy food choices.

WHY ABU DHABI SCHOOLS BANNED FOODS

The so-called “red list” of banned food and drinks refers not only to items served in school canteens but also to food brought in from home.

Deep-fried foods, including fried chicken, falafel, samosas and fries, have been banned due to high oil absorption leading to more saturated fats and extra calories.

ADEK has outlined that oven-baked, air-fried or roasted versions of these typically deep-fried dishes are acceptable.

Sweets and desserts with excess sugar have been banned due to the empty calories and saturated fats that can lead to poor dental health and struggles with weight management.

Examples of banned sweets include cakes, doughnuts, candy, chocolate with less that 50 percent cocoa and ice cream. ADEK has suggested portion-controlled whole-grain muffins with minimal sugar, fruit-based desserts and dark chocolate as alternatives.

Soft drinks, including diet and zero-calorie artificially sweetened sodas, are not allowed on campuses due to their lack of nutritional value and high volume of sweeteners. Bans are also in place for energy and sport drinks, hot and iced coffee and teas plus fruit syrup juices.

Instead, water, carbonated water, unsweetened fruit-infused water and low-sugar fruit juices are alternatives.

Processed and high-fat meats such as hot dogs, mortadella, pepperoni, salami, smoked turkey, smoked salmon and all non-halal meat options have also been banned. These meats have higher levels of sodium, more preservatives and saturated fats which have all been linked to long-term health risks. Lean poultry, fish or unprocessed baked/grilled meats should be used instead.

Foods containing chemical dyes, MSG, high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners have also been banned for a variety of reasons, including chances of hyperactivity, headaches and metabolic issues.

Restrictions are also in place with dairy drinks, soy products and cheese imitations. Any flavoured or sweetened dairy products that exceed set sugar/fat thresholds are not allowed due to excess fat and sugars overshadowing the benefits of milk. Instead, unflavoured full or low-fat milk, unsweetened yoghurt and natural cheese will be allowed.

Soy milk is not allowed due to the possibility of flavour enhancers, sweeteners or other chemicals. However, other plant-based milks such as unsweetened coconut milk or oat milk will be allowed.

Pickled vegetables have also made the red list of banned foods due to the likelihood of excess salt and preservatives. Fresh or lightly marinated vegetables are suggested as alternatives.

A wide variety of high-calorie spreads, dressings and sauces are all no longer allowed. These include mayonnaise, ketchup and ranch among others. These sauces are found to have high levels of sugar, salt or fat. Instead, low-fat, low-sugar and low-sodium alternatives should be used.

Common allergies have also been addressed with the banning of all nuts, soybeans, sesame seeds and all products associated with these ingredients. Instead, use chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.

Ramadan, Chinese new year

@DUPE OF A2, USE EXCERPTS X65 X65 from ny post

Abu Dhabi royal known as ‘spy sheikh’ secretly bought massive stake in Trump family’s crypto firm: report

By Taylor Herzlich Published Feb. 2, 2026, 12:43 p.m. ET

See a picture of Tahnoon here. (Would you trust this guy with your money? Eric did)