While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Feb 5, 2026
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A 2008 photo shows a Russian Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile on display in Red Square during Moscow's Victory Day Parade.
PHOTO: AFP
Russia ‘no longer bound’ by nuclear arms limits
Russia said on Feb 4 it was “no longer bound” by limits on the number of nuclear warheads it could deploy, as its last arms control treaty with the United States looked set to expire.
The New START agreement will end on Feb 5, releasing both Moscow and Washington from a raft of restrictions on their nuclear arsenals.
Campaigners have warned the treaty’s demise could unleash a new arms race between the world’s top nuclear powers, and encourage China to expand its arsenal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered in September to keep abiding by the warhead limits in the treaty for a year, but he received no formal response from Washington, the Kremlin says.
US, EU and Japan unveil critical minerals partnership
The United States on Feb 4 unveiled a critical minerals partnership with the European Union and Japan, after a gathering in Washington amid growing concerns about China’s dominant role in the sector.
The partners aim to develop “coordinated trade policies and mechanisms, such as border-adjusted price floors, that can mitigate critical mineral supply chain vulnerabilities,” said the US Trade Representative’s office in a statement.
Critical minerals include rare earth metals, which are key to the production of goods like smartphones, fighter jets and electric cars.
France arrests four on suspicion of spying for China
PHOTO: REUTERS
French authorities have arrested four people, including two Chinese nationals, suspected of spying on sensitive military data via satellite for Beijing, prosecutors said on Feb 4.
The four individuals were arrested on Jan 31 in the southwestern Gironde region after the two Chinese individuals allegedly rented an Airbnb as part of a plan to intercept data, including military intelligence, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.
The two Chinese nationals allegedly travelled to France with the intent to capture data from the Starlink satellite internet system and other “entities of vital importance” and transmit it back to China, it added.
Man who tried to assassinate Trump sentenced to life
PHOTO: AFP
Ryan Routh, the man accused of hiding in the bushes of a Florida golf course with a semi-automatic rifle to try to assassinate Donald Trump less than two months before the 2024 US election that returned him to the presidency, was sentenced by a judge on Feb 4 to life in prison.
Routh, 59, was convicted by a jury in September 2025 of five criminal counts, including attempted assassination after serving as his own defence lawyer at trial.
US District Judge Aileen Cannon handed down the sentence in Fort Pierce, Florida.
US news outlet Washington Post begins layoffs
PHOTO: AFP
US news outlet The Washington Post informed its staff on Feb 4 that it was starting a widespread layoff that would gut its sports department and shrink its international footprint, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency.
Executive editor Matt Murray announced the job cuts on a call with employees, the source said, requesting anonymity as the matter was private.
The layoff comes days after the more than 145-year-old newspaper scaled back its coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics amid mounting financial losses.
