Specifically, this concerns facilities in Ashburn, the world's largest traffic exchange hub. Under Project "Texas" (US data storage), TikTok uses Oracle Cloud infrastructure, and it was in this cluster that problems arose with the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system and backup diesel generators. This led to a "domino effect": due to the failure of a key authorization node, users worldwide began receiving 500 and 502 errors, as the global system failed to correctly redirect requests to backup data centers in Oregon

The outage coincided with the closing of the deal to transfer control of TikTok's US division to a group of investors (Oracle, MGX, etc.). Users report inability to log in, video loading errors, and "zero views" on new posts

Symptoms: Since 09:00 UTC, users have been reporting playback issues: videos constantly buffer/restart or display a "Content unavailable, try again later" error.

Possible cause: A correlation with backbone network failures is observed. Scheduled maintenance is currently underway at Cloudflare data centers (e.g., in Phoenix, PHX), which may be causing temporary delays and routing errors for global services.

1. Users are reporting mass issues with USAA services — an organization providing financial services to US military members and their families.

2. Main issues are related to login (74%), mobile banking (23%), and funds transfer.
The scale of the problems, judging by the spike in reports, is significant.

⏺ Timing (9:00–10:00 UTC): This is early morning on the US East Coast (4:00–5:00 AM EST). Traffic is minimal at this time, and such sharp spikes in failures cannot be caused by natural congestion. This is the ideal time for DDoS or BGP-hijacking attacks when technical teams are during shift changes.

⏺ Nature of the USAA failure: Users report not just "slow performance," but an inability to pass MFA (multi-factor authentication) and API errors in the mobile app. This usually indicates a "Credential Stuffing" attempt or an attack on Identity Providers.

⏺ Synchronization with YouTube: If YouTube (Google) is experiencing issues simultaneously with USAA, this could mean an attack on the Tier-1 provider level (backbone communication channels) or DNS infrastructure.

Currently, a Supply Chain Attack scenario or a massive attack on critical BGP routing nodes is being considered. The fact that services catering to the military (USAA) and influence platforms (TikTok, YouTube) are affected forces US cybersecurity agencies (CISA) to operate on high alert.

Food for thought: On Monday, January 26, The Telegraph released a piece titled "China hacked Downing Street phones for years."
However, it refers to the 2021-2024 period, when state hackers from China and Russia successfully breached the phones of the closest aides to Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak.

Data leaks had been occurring since at least 2021, but intelligence agencies only discovered them in 2024. The US was the first to expose this operation, stating that China gained access to confidential data by infiltrating telecommunications companies worldwide.

The espionage, linked to an advanced cyber-group called Salt Typhoon, affected aides to PMs Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak. Truss’s own phone was also hacked at the time, after which she quickly resigned once hackers gained access not only to metadata but to the Prime Minister's actual conversations. In total, Salt Typhoon managed to penetrate over 200 targets in 80+ countries.

Not long ago, the incumbent UK PM Keir Starmer approved the construction of a Chinese "mega-embassy" in London, which journalists believe threatens the national security of the United Kingdom.

The permission to build the Chinese embassy raised legitimate fears that it would allow Beijing to tap into fiber-optic cables used by financial companies running beneath the embassy's territory.

Furthermore, MI6 warned that allowing China to build a much larger embassy simultaneously means an increase in the number of Chinese spies in the UK, as well as an increase in the number of diplomats.

Intelligence ranking by countries with the largest number of embassies worldwide:
China has the most embassies — 173.
🇺🇸 #USA — 168
🇫🇷 #France — 158
🇹🇷 #Turkey — 145
🇧🇷 #Brazil — 135

Recap:
🧱 Global silver prices plunged 36% — a historic anti-record.
🧱 Gold lost 12% — the sharpest drop in over 40 years.
The massive sell-off in global precious metals markets occurred on January 30.

Sentinel-2 satellite imagery taken a few hours ago shows the aircraft carrier CVN 72 Abraham Lincoln leaving the Sea of Oman and heading back toward the Indian Ocean.

➡️Furthermore, satellite images of the US base at Diego Garcia this morning show no American bombers present at the base.

According to Fedorov, only authorized terminals will now function in Ukraine. All "non-Ukrainian" Starlinks will be disabled. Unverified terminals will be cut off.
We shall see.

⏺Reminder: One of Fedorov's first moves as Defense Minister (Jan 18) was an agreement with #Palantir to create an "advanced AI data center" (Brave1 Dataroom). However, it immediately surfaced that Fedorov had actually signed the contract with Palantir back in May 2023, while still Minister of Digital Transformation.

However, according to the publication, "the US continues to deploy air defense systems to the region in case of an Iranian response."
This phrase itself sounds quite surreal — a "response" to an "unasked question"? Well, ok.

New imagery released by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) shows:

• Activity at a tunnel in Isfahan

• Renovations of surface buildings in Isfahan and Karaj
(details)

The new electronic suppression system replaces the previous ALQ-99 jammers and reached operational capability at the turn of 2024-2025.

Like its predecessor, the cutting-edge ALQ-249 handles the suppression of air defense systems, radars, and communication channels, but with significantly greater efficiency and range. According to Venezuelan military testimonies, the new complexes were used, among other things, to provide aerial electronic cover during the US operation to capture Maduro on January 3.

Although this news from official Russian sources was deleted just as quickly as the "nuclear train" story on January 27, it had the effect of a bombshell. As a result, Trump quickly backpedaled, as we reported yesterday.

As is well known to everyone, Rosatom does not build nuclear power plants on credit around the world out of charity (especially in key locations and areas near American military bases, as was once the case in Egypt).

Previously, Likhachev unequivocally warned that "any attack on Bushehr could cause a catastrophe comparable to the Chernobyl accident in 1986."

Now, the CEO of Rosatom has added that a "ban on purchases of Russian nuclear fuel would 'jeopardize' Europe's nuclear safety."

➡️According to the Turkish news agency Anadolu, citing IRNA, the epicenter of the earthquake was at a depth of 18 kilometers (11 miles); tremors were recorded 24 km (15 miles) from Asaluyeh, 32 km (20 miles) from Kushkrar in Hormozgan province, and 45 km (28 miles) from Galehdar in Fars province.

Key provisions of the treaty included:
● A limit of 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads.
● A limit of 700 deployed delivery systems (ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers).

➡️ Quantity:
⏺ China — launched 10 nuclear submarines
⏺ USA — 7

➡️ Tonnage:
⏺ China — 79,000 tons
⏺ USA — 55,500 tons

📈🇨🇳 China's Submarine Fleet at the start of 2025:

• 12 nuclear submarines: 6 ballistic missile submarines + 6 missile/attack submarines
• 46 conventional submarines

Of these:
• Two Type 094 nuclear submarines, capable of launching nuclear-armed missiles, were launched in Bohai.
• Production of the next-generation Type 096 submarines will begin in Bohai later this decade, with commissioning in the late 2020s or early 2030s.
• At least 6 hulls of nuclear-powered guided-missile submarines equipped with vertical launch systems capable of firing new high-speed anti-ship missiles have been put into production.

📉🇺🇸US Submarine Fleet:

• 65 submarines in total, including 14 ballistic missile submarines.

• No conventional submarines.

• Shipyards planned to build at least two Virginia-class attack ships per year, but since 2022 have been delivering only 1.1–1.2 per year, while Beijing has reached "1+2" figures annually.

• The Columbia-class ballistic submarine program is running a year behind schedule.

"Through Netanyahu's reckless clownish behavior, Trump dragged the American people into an unjust war with Iran. Let him ask himself today: after more than 500 American soldiers killed in just a few days, does the slogan 'America First' still stand — or has it become 'Israel First'?"

Welker: Let me move to the strike on the elementary school in southern Iran. It killed more than 170 people, including many children. Trump said Iran is responsible for that strike. What is your response?

Araghchi: Well, it is funny. It is our school. These are our students, our girls, and they are attacked by an American jet fighter and they have been killed. Why is Iran responsible? Have we started this war? Have we attacked our own people? No... there is evidence that this school was attacked by an American jet fighter.

Welker: Where is the Iranian evidence that this was a U.S. attack — a jet fighter as you say? Will you provide it?

Araghchi: If it was not the U.S., then who was that? Maybe Israelis, but it is obvious who else is attacking us?

In a galaxy that demands strength - America stands ready.

This is the way. May the 4th be with you.

• Materials included in the release show that NASA’s work on extraterrestrial discovery communications extends back several years.
A presentation titled “Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life Communications Protocol Development,” dated July 29, 2020, outlines foundational considerations for such a scenario.

• That document emphasizes that any discovery could vary significantly in nature:

“Factors about the detection/discovery may occur along a spectrum:
Location: near (in our Solar System) far (exoplanets)
Organism: microbial humanoid
Biosignature: chemical/molecular ‘traditional’ fossil”