In Minneapolis, an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good on 7 January, and a Border Patrol officer shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti on 24 January. Both killings, and the ongoing immigration operation in the state, have sparked protests around the country. The second shooting led Democrats, and some Republicans, to push back on approving DHS funding.
These are the key developments from day 1,436 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Published On 30 Jan 202630 Jan 2026
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Here is where things stand on Friday, January 30:
Fighting
A Russian drone attack killed two women and a man in Vilniansk in Ukraine’s front-line Zaporizhia region, the head of the regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov, said on the Telegram messaging app. The attack also destroyed houses after fires broke out, Fedorov said.
Russian forces launched a total of 841 attacks on 34 settlements across Zaporizhia in the past day, Fedorov said in a later post, with 16 people injured in those attacks.
Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the Kryvyi Rih regional defence council, said that a Russian attack killed an elderly woman and injured three people in Kryvyi Rih city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown southeast of Kharkiv.
Russian attacks also killed one person in Druzhkivka, in the Donetsk region, and one person in Khatnie, in the Kharkiv region, local officials said, according to the Kyiv Independent news outlet.
The death toll from a Russian attack on Ukraine’s Odesa on Tuesday has risen to four, after a man injured in the attack died in hospital on Thursday, head of the Odesa Military Administration Serhiy Lysak said.
A Ukrainian drone attack killed a hospital employee on the grounds of the Graivoron hospital, in Russia’s Belgorod region, the regional emergency response headquarters said.
Russian forces shot down 111 Ukrainian drones in a 24-hour period, the Russian Ministry of Defence said, according to Russia’s TASS state news agency.
Energy crisis
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that 454 residential buildings remain without heating in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, with temperatures forecast to drop to -23 degrees Celsius (-9.4 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight this week.
President Zelenskyy said on Thursday he expected the implementation of an agreement by Russia not to fire on Kyiv and other cities for a week because of the severe winter weather, and as announced by United States President Donald Trump.
“Our teams discussed this in the United Arab Emirates. We expect the agreements to be implemented,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “De-escalation steps contribute to real progress toward ending the war,” he added.
Trump said earlier that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed not to fire on Kyiv for a week due to freezing winter conditions.
“I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and various towns for a week, and he agreed to do that,” Trump said at a cabinet meeting, citing the “extraordinary cold” in the region.
Ceasefire negotiations
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed Ukraine received the bodies of 1,000 soldiers from Russia in the latest exchange of those killed during the war.
Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky also confirmed that “within the framework of the Istanbul agreements, the bodies of 1,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers have been transferred to Ukraine”.
Medinsky said the “bodies of 38 dead Russian soldiers have been transferred to Russia”.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow has not yet seen the ceasefire document that Ukraine refers to as a 20-point plan, adding that he believes it has been “reworked” by Ukraine and its allies. “We still haven’t seen it in its entirety,” he said.
Deezer is now receiving over 60,000 fully AI-generated tracks every day – and is moving to license its AI-detection technology to the wider music industry.
The Paris-headquartered streaming service revealed the new figures today (January 29), confirming that synthetic content now accounts for roughly 39% of all music delivered to the platform daily.
The 60,000 figure marks another significant jump from the 50,000 tracks Deezer reported in November, the 30,000 in September, and the 10,000 it disclosed when it first launched its AI detection tool in January 2025.
A year on from that launch, Deezer says it has detected and tagged over 13.4 million AI-generated tracks on its platform – and is now making its detection technology commercially available.
The company says it has already performed successful tests with industry partners including French collecting society Sacem.
“We’ve seen a great interest in both our approach and our tool,” said Alexis Lanternier, CEO, Deezer.
“From now on, we are licensing the tech to make it widely available. Deezer continues to lead the way in promoting a transparent experience for artists and fans, with a commitment to fight AI-music fraud across our industry.”
Deezer also revealed that up to 85% of all streams on AI-generated music were fraudulent in 2025 – up from the 70% figure it reported last year. Those streams are demonetized and removed from the royalty pool.
By comparison, streaming fraud across Deezer’s entire catalog accounted for 8% of all streams in 2025.
While AI-generated music currently makes up only a small share of total streams on Deezer ( up to 3%), the platform maintains that generating fake streams remains the primary purpose for uploading such content.
“We know that the majority of AI-music is uploaded to Deezer with the purpose of committing fraud, and we continue to take action.”
Alexis Lanternier, Deezer
“Music generated entirely by AI has become nearly indistinguishable from human creation, and with a continuous flood of uploads to streaming platforms, our approach remains crystal clear: transparency for fans and protecting the rights of artists and songwriters,” said Lanternier.
“We know that the majority of AI-music is uploaded to Deezer with the purpose of committing fraud, and we continue to take action.
“We detect and tag AI-generated music and remove it from algorithmic recommendations, so that our users have a clear choice regarding what to listen to, while making it harder for fraudsters to game the system.”
Deezer noted that it’s the only music streaming platform to explicitly tag and exclude AI-generated music from algorithmic recommendations and editorial playlists.
The company claims that its AI detection tool can identify 100% AI-generated music from generative models such as Suno and Udio, with the capability to add detection for other tools.
Deezer says it has also made progress in creating a system with increased generalizability, capable of detecting AI-generated content without a specific dataset to train on.
In December 2024, Deezer applied for two patents for its AI Detection technology, focused on methods of detecting unique signatures that distinguish synthetic content from human-made music.
The announcement comes amid growing concerns about AI’s impact on creator revenues.
According to a study conducted by CISAC and PMP Strategy, nearly 25% of creators’ revenues are at risk by 2028 – amounting to as much as €4 billion.
new video loaded: More Than 100 Deaths Confirmed Across Southern Africa From Floods
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More Than 100 Deaths Confirmed Across Southern Africa From Floods
Hundreds of thousands of people across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique have been displaced after heavy rain brought some of the worst flooding that the region has seen in decades. Forecasters expect more rain through February.
In where we are in the Southern African region, when it rains, it’s not the same kind of rain. It’s much harsher. It’s harder. And that is what results into the extreme floods we’re seeing right now.
Hundreds of thousands of people across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique have been displaced after heavy rain brought some of the worst flooding that the region has seen in decades. Forecasters expect more rain through February.
Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.
Scholastic All-American Sophia Pero has committed to continue her swimming career at Texas A&M University this fall.
A versatile swimmer, Pero is particularly strong in butterfly, sprint freestyle, and the 200 IM. She trains with SwimMAC Carolina and also competes for Hopewell High School in Huntersville, North Carolina.
“I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to further my academic and athletic career at Texas A&M University!! I want to thank my family, friends, and coaches for all their support along the way. Lastly, I would like to thank Coach Blaire and all the coaching staff at Texas A&M for this amazing opportunity! So excited for the future and to be apart of the Aggie family! GIG’EM! 👍”
Pero was a finalist at the 2025 NCHSAA 4A State Championship (SCY) in February, representing Hopewell High School. She placed 3rd in the 100 fly with a lifetime best of 54.93 and finished 10th in the 200 free (1:50.93).
In December, Pero posted strong performances at the 2025 Speedo Winter Junior Championships – East (SCY), recording best times in the 200 fly (2:00.23) and 200 IM (2:02.71). She placed 21st in the 200 fly, touching 5th in the ‘C’ final.
Pero earned a best time in the 200 free (1:49.61) in March at the 2024 VA SRVA SwimRVA Shamrock Showdown (SCY), finishing 9th. She was also the runner-up in the 100 IM (57.96) and placed 3rd in the 200 fly (2:01.28), 4th in the 100 free (51.68), 5th in the 100 fly (55.40), and 5th in the 200 IM (2:05.74).
At the 2023 North Carolina Senior Championships (SCY), Pero posted her fastest 100 free time of 51.33 to place 3rd. The time remains her personal best.
Pero was a finalist at the 2025 U.S. Open Championships in long course events in December, finishing 17th in the 200 fly (2:16.73), 22nd in the 200 free (2:07.71), and 23rd in the 100 fly (1:02.49).
Top Yard Times
100 Free – 51.33
200 Free – 1:49.61
100 Fly – 54.93
200 Fly – 2:00.23
200 IM – 2:02.71
Texas A&M’s women’s team placed 8th out of 13 teams at the 2025 SEC Championships. The team’s fastest 200 IM (1:56.70) and 200 fly (1:54.09) times last season belonged to Olivia Theall, who has since graduated. Pero has the potential to contribute in both events, especially if she continues to drop time.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
About the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour
Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you.
Millions of people donate blood each year, saving countless lives. After a donation, plasma and white blood cells are separated from red blood cells, which are the most commonly transfused blood product. In most countries, red blood cells can be stored under refrigeration – as a liquid solution – for up to 42 days.
Over time, red blood cells undergo structural changes: their membranes become weaker, and harmful metabolic by-products build up. Essentially, it means the red blood cell solution becomes less suitable for transfusion, which is why it can’t be used after six weeks.
Here’s the catch: even when stored under the same conditions for the same amount of time, not all donated blood ages at the same speed. The quality of red blood cells and how quickly they decline can vary a lot depending on donors’ metabolism, lifestyle, weight, sex, and age. And these variations often get overlooked in hospitals and blood centers. The main reason for that is a lack of fast and affordable methods for measuring the quality of stored blood right before transfusion.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and University of Colorado Anschutz have developed a compact, inexpensive, and easy-to-use device to solve this problem.
“Our vision is to have a chip the size of a dime that you can plug into your cell phone,” explained Xiaoyun Ding, associate professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at Boulder. “It could use your phone’s camera and an app to read out the results in just two minutes.”
So how does it work? The chip generates acoustic waves – similar to sound waves, but moving only the very top layer of the chip, which contains electrodes. A tiny drop of blood is placed on the surface, and when an electric current runs through the chip, the acoustic waves make the red blood cells vibrate and heat up until they break. It’s essentially a tiny stress test for blood cells: the faster they break, the less healthy the blood is.
The inner workings of the chip
Xiaoyun Ding
During the experiments, blood samples from multiple healthy donors were tested weekly during the 42-day period. The results showed that as blood aged, red blood cells from some donors broke at lower temperatures sooner than others, causing a significant decrease in quality even before its official expiration date.
Creating vibrations on a tiny chip is not simple, so the researchers checked if the heat alone could do the job. They carefully controlled the temperature during testing, so the results could be fairly compared between donors and over time. But that didn’t work. Without the acoustic vibrations, donor-specific differences in red blood cells were not possible to detect.
This technology shows that both storage time and biological differences between donors affect red blood cell quality. By identifying lower-quality blood samples, hospitals can prioritize using them sooner, ensuring better treatment for patients. The device also makes it possible to predict how well transfused blood will perform.
There is still a lot of work to be done before this method can be widely adopted in hospitals, but in the future, the researchers hope to apply the same approach for measuring different factors that affect blood cells or protein levels in blood.
A paper on the research was published in the latest issue of the journal Lab on a Chip.
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Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda, who’s known for sharing the realities of life in Gaza, says she’s regained access to her TikTok. On Wednesday, she shared a video explaining that her account had been deleted, days after the platform was acquired by new investors in the US.
