The Hu & Apocalyptica announce US tour

The Hu & Apocalyptica announce US tour
The Hu & Apocalyptica announce US tour
The Hu performs on stage during Download festival 2019 at Donington Park on June 14, 2019 in Castle Donington, England. (Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

Metal from around the world will join forces when Mongolia’s The Hu and Finland’s Apocalyptica hit the road together for a U.S. tour.

The trek launches May 12 in Silver Spring, Maryland, and wraps up June 7 in Anaheim, California. Finnish band The Rasmus will also be on the bill.

Presales begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit TheHuOfficial.com or Apocalyptica.com.

The Hu just released a new single, “The Real You,” in January. It’s set to appear on their upcoming new album, The Hun, the follow-up to 2022’s Rumble of Thunder.

Apocalyptica’s most recent album is 2024’s Plays Metallica, Vol. 2, marking their second collection of Metallica covers.

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On This Day: Feb. 10, 1978: Van Halen releases their self-titled debut album

On This Day: Feb. 10, 1978: Van Halen releases their self-titled debut album
On This Day: Feb. 10, 1978: Van Halen releases their self-titled debut album

On This Day, Feb. 10, 1978…

Van Halen released their self-titled debut album, which peaked at #19 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart.

The album featured such future classics as “Runnin’ with the Devil,” “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love,” “Jamie’s Cryin’,” the instrumental “Eruption,” and a cover of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.”

Van Halen, which features the band’s original frontman, David Lee Roth, went on to become a huge commercial success for the future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, selling more than 10 million copies in the U.S. to earn a Diamond certification from the RIAA, one of two the band received.  The other was for their sixth studio album, 1984, which was their last to feature Roth, until 2012’s A Different Kind of Truth.

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2 killed in new Eastern Pacific boat strike, SOUTHCOM says

2 killed in new Eastern Pacific boat strike, SOUTHCOM says
2 killed in new Eastern Pacific boat strike, SOUTHCOM says

(NEW YORK) — U.S. Southern Command announced on Monday that its forces conducted a new airstrike against an alleged drug smuggling boat in the Eastern Pacific, killing two people aboard and leaving one survivor.

SOUTHCOM said in a statement posted to X that it “immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor.”

The statement was accompanied by video of the strike.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” SOUTHCOM said, noting that the strike was launched at the direction of commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan.

Monday’s operation is the 38th airstrike conducted by U.S. forces since Sept. 2. The killings bring to 130 the number of people killed in these strikes.

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2 killed in new Eastern Pacific boat strike, SOUTHCOM says

2 killed in new Eastern Pacific boat strike, SOUTHCOM says
2 killed in new Eastern Pacific boat strike, SOUTHCOM says

(NEW YORK) — U.S. Southern Command announced on Monday that its forces conducted a new airstrike against an alleged drug smuggling boat in the Eastern Pacific, killing two people aboard and leaving one survivor.

SOUTHCOM said in a statement posted to X that it “immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor.”

The statement was accompanied by video of the strike.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” SOUTHCOM said, noting that the strike was launched at the direction of commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan.

Monday’s operation is the 38th airstrike conducted by U.S. forces since Sept. 2. The killings bring to 130 the number of people killed in these strikes.

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In brief: ‘Virgin River’ season 7 trailer and more

In brief: ‘Virgin River’ season 7 trailer and more
In brief: ‘Virgin River’ season 7 trailer and more

The trailer for season 7 of Virgin River has arrived. Netflix has released the official trailer for the seventh season of its romantic drama series, which finds Mel and Jack newly married and pursuing their dream of adopting a child. Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson star in the season, which will debut on March 12 …

You can spend your Valentine’s Day watching one of last year’s new movies. Song Sung Blue will make its streaming debut to Peacock on Feb. 13. Craig Brewer directed the film about the influence of Neil Diamond’s music. Kate Hudson received an Oscar nomination for her performance in the film, which she starred in alongside Hugh Jackman …

Keira Knightley, Alicia Vikander, Jamie Dornan and Erin Kellyman are teaming up for a new film. Variety reports that the actors will star in the upcoming dark comedy The Worst. The movie is described as a “wickedly entertaining class satire” that skewers “privilege, power and performative morality, turning an elegant couples’ getaway into a hilariously disastrous night to remember.” …

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Scoreboard roundup — 2/9/26

Scoreboard roundup — 2/9/26
Scoreboard roundup — 2/9/26

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Pistons 110, Hornets 104
Bulls 115, Nets 123
Jazz 115, Heat 111
Bucks 99, Magic 118
Hawks 116, Timberwolves 138
Kings 94, Pelicans 120
Cavaliers 119, Nuggets 117
Grizzlies 113, Warriors 114
Thunder 119, Lakers 110
76ers 118, Trail Blazers 135

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Russian border regions face blackouts after Ukrainian strikes, governors say

Russian border regions face blackouts after Ukrainian strikes, governors say
Russian border regions face blackouts after Ukrainian strikes, governors say
Large areas of Lviv are facing emergency blackouts following targeted Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. (Mykola Tys/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

(LONDON) — Governors of two Russian regions bordering Ukraine said Tuesday that residents are facing sustained power outages as a result of Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure, as both sides continue long-range strikes in the run-up to the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia’s western Belgorod region said in posts to Telegram that power and heating outages had forced hundreds of people to rely on “heating points.”

“Unfortunately, rolling blackouts are inevitable,” Gladkov said, noting that Belgorod city will be among the areas subject to unpredictable outages.

Gov. Alexander Khinshtein of the neighboring Kursk region said that 28,000 customers were without power as a result of “another series of cowardly attacks on our territory.”

Both regions have been subject to regular Ukrainian drone, missile and artillery attacks. Both have also seen Ukrainian ground incursions during the nearly 4-year-old war.

Recent months have seen both Russia and Ukraine focus attacks on energy infrastructure targets. In Ukraine, millions have faced rolling outages as a result of months of Russian missile and drone strikes on energy targets all across the country. Moscow, Kyiv has said, is trying to freeze Ukrainians into submission.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, has framed long-range Ukrainian strikes as “terrorist attacks.”

Zelenskyy on Sunday defended Ukraine’s retaliatory attacks inside Russia, describing the Russian energy sector as “a legitimate target.”

“We do not have to choose whether we strike a military target or energy,” Zelenskyy said while addressing students at the National Aviation University in Kyiv. “He sells this energy. He sells oil. So is it energy, or is it a military target? Honestly, it’s the same thing. He sells oil, takes the money, invests it in weapons. And with those weapons, he kills Ukrainians.”

Zelenskyy said that left Ukraine with two options: “We either build weapons and strike their weapons. Or we strike the source where their money is generated and multiplied. And that source is their energy sector. That is what is happening. All of this is a legitimate target for us.”

The nightly exchange of drones continued on Monday night.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 125 drones into the country overnight, of which 110 were shot down or suppressed. Thirteen drones impacted across six locations, the air force said in a post to Telegram.

Vadym Filashkin, the governor of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, said in a post to social media that two people were killed and seven people injured by a Russian strike in the city of Slovyansk, close to the front line.

At least four people were injured by a drone strike on a house in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said. Among the injured was a 1-year-old child, the ministry said.

Oleh Kiper, the governor of the southern Odesa region, said in a post to Telegram that Russian drones attacked energy infrastructure overnight, leaving at least three communities partially without power.

The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces shot down at least six Ukrainian drones overnight into Tuesday morning.

Russia’s federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsiya, said that temporary flight restrictions were introduced at airports in the Black Sea city of Gelendzhik and in the western city of Kaluga.

Peace maneuvers are ongoing against the backdrop of long-range strikes and Russia’s attritional offensive operations in eastern Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said in a post to social media on Monday night that proposed post-war Western security guarantees intended to protect Ukraine from repeated Russian aggression are “ready.”

“There is no alternative to security. There is no alternative to peace. There is no alternative to rebuilding our country,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president also said there will be “significant international events this week — on defense and security.”

“Our negotiating team is working every single day on the documents and proposals that could deliver results at the upcoming meetings,” Zelenskyy said.

“Most importantly, our partners must be aligned the same way we are in Ukraine: peace is needed, and reliable security guarantees are the only real foundation for peace and for preventing the Russians from breaking agreements through strikes or hybrid operation of some kind,” he added.

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1 month after Iran regime’s deadliest crackdown, the death toll mounts as repression deepens

1 month after Iran regime’s deadliest crackdown, the death toll mounts as repression deepens
1 month after Iran regime’s deadliest crackdown, the death toll mounts as repression deepens
Thousands of people protest in Berlin, Germany for the overthrow of the current Iranian regime and the creation of a democratic government in Iran on February 7, 2026. (Omer Messinger/Getty Images)

(LONDON) — One month after Iran was rocked by the beginning of the deadliest crackdown in its modern history, the full toll of the regime’s response to nationwide protests is still coming into focus.

On Jan. 8 and 9, Iranian security forces launched what activists describe as the most brutal assault yet on citizens who had poured into streets across the country, chanting for regime change.

While international media coverage has gradually shifted toward renewed negotiations between the United States and the Islamic Republic over Tehran’s nuclear program, human rights groups and Iranians inside and outside the country warn that repression on the ground has intensified. They describe an atmosphere of fear, torture, and systemic violence ruling the country. 

As of Monday, more than 6,400 protesters have been killed and over 51,500 arrested on charges linked to the demonstrations, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). Over 11,000 more related deaths remain under review. ABC News cannot independently verify these numbers.

Farsi-language social media remains flooded with images of the dead, missing and detained. Videos show families grieving loved ones killed in the streets, while others are pleas from relatives searching for missing family members in morgues and prisons, or seeking legal support for those behind bars. 

Many wounded protesters still seek medical advice from doctors on social media on how to treat their injuries at home, because they fear getting arrested in hospitals by regime forces, who closely monitor hospitals in order to track wounded protesters. An Iranian lawyer told ABC News last week that several of doctors who provided home treatment to wounded protesters have been arrested.

The volume of such social media posts has shown no sign of slowing.

200 students were killed
The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations (CCITTA) published the names on Sunday of 200 students they said are confirmed killed during the protests.  

“Each name carries a wish with it: I wish he were alive; I wish his school was still waiting for him,” CCITTA said in a statement on X, adding that “the empty benches are not just a sign of absence; they are a reminder of a crime that has reached the classroom.”

Mounting concerns over detainees
Over the weekend, in a post on X, the Hengaw human rights organization warned of widespread sexual violence during this wave of arrests, citing interviews with former detainees. Hengaw described the mental condition of those still in custody as “dire,” because of the torture during detention. 

Among those arrested is Iranian journalist and activist Vida Rabbani, who was detained after signing a joint statement declaring the downfall of the Islamic Republic “inevitable.” Her husband says she has been tortured after her arrest. 

“There were many obvious bruises on Vida’s body. She had been severely beaten,” Hamidreza Amiri wrote on Instagram this weekend after visiting her in prison.

He said that when Rabbani refused to wear the compulsory hijab in prison, guards pulled out her hair.

“The artist girl had made a bracelet from a handful of her own hair,” he wrote. “The bracelet, next to the bruises on her hand, created a strange and deeply moving scene.”

Activists warn that if such abuse is inflicted on high-profile figures with media visibility, the treatment of ordinary protesters whose cases often go unreported may be far worse. 

Waves of forced confessions
According to HRANA, at least 331 forced confessions related to the protests have been broadcast so far.

One recent case involves Mohammad Ali Saedinia, a prominent business owner who had supported the protests by closing all branches of his well-known confectionery chain nationwide and joining strike actions. 

On Monday, state-affiliated Fars News published a scanned letter allegedly signed by Saedinia, calling his decision to shut down his stores in January a “mistake,” condemning Israel and the U.S., and apologizing to the Iranian people. Earlier this month, the judiciary’s spokesperson confirmed Saedinia’s arrest, and that his properties were ordered seized by the Iranian regime.

Arrests of reformist figures
The Iranian regime also arrested several prominent reformist figures on Monday, according to Fars News, after they allegedly criticized the authorities’ handling of the protests. They face charges including “attacking national unity” and “coordinating with enemy propaganda,” according to Fars News.

Speaking anonymously for security reasons, an Iranian analyst told ABC News on Monday that the arrests are “significant,” since the Trump administration might be weighing the possibility of engaging with some insiders of the Iranian government if the regime collapses.

The analyst added that the move could be hardliners aligned with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tightening their grip on power, given the uncertainty of the future of the ongoing negotiations with the U.S.

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Acting ICE director, CBP commissioner to testify for first time since fatal shootings

Acting ICE director, CBP commissioner to testify for first time since fatal shootings
Acting ICE director, CBP commissioner to testify for first time since fatal shootings
Todd Lyons, acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), speaks during a news conference in Nogales, Arizona, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Ash Ponders/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — Amid a funding fight on Capitol Hill and polls showing more than 60% of Americans disapproving of how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is enforcing immigration laws, senior immigration officials will testify Tuesday before the House Department of Homeland Security Committee.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, Customs and Border Protection (CPB) Commissioner Rodney Scott are to appear in the first of two hearings on oversight of the two agencies. Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is also expected to appear.

The three are scheduled to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday.

Tuesday’s testimony will be their first since two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal law enforcement officers in Minneapolis and since the partial drawdown of federal officers from Minnesota.

“In order to get [Department of Homeland Security funding] done, I think we need to get some questions asked and make everybody feel comfortable about what ICE, USCIS, and CBP are doing, what their goals are, and what they’re trying to accomplish,” House Homeland Security Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y. said on the “Julie Mason Show” over the weekend. “I think having these directors there will give them the opportunity to talk about the training that their officers receive. There was a huge investment to hire more ICE and CBP officers that came through the One Big Beautiful Bill.  It’s going to be good to have these directors giving answers and setting the record straight.”

Democrats have been calling for more accountability for ICE and CBP. They have also called on Department of Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees the immigration agencies, to resign, which she has said she will not.

In a statement released Monday, Rep. Bennie Thompson, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said the hearing “is going to be just the start of a reckoning for the Trump administration and its weaponization of government against our country.”

“Donald Trump and Kristi Noem must be held accountable for the immigration operations creating chaos in our communities, terrorizing people, and hurting U.S. citizens and immigrants alike,” he continued. “I hope my Republican colleagues will remember that our job is to conduct oversight, not cover for Donald Trump and his out-of-control administration, which is running roughshod over Americans’ rights, killing U.S. citizens, and threatening our very democracy.” 

Polls show Americans disapprove of how the agencies are conducting President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement operation.

A Quinnipiac poll released earlier this month found that 63% of voters disapprove of the way ICE is enforcing immigration laws and 34% approve — a lower rating than the agency received in a January Quinnipiac poll, when 57% disapproved and 40% approved.

And an Ipsos poll from early February found that 62% of Americans said efforts by ICE officers to deal with unauthorized immigration goes “too far.” That is up slightly from 58% who said the same in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted the week before. The share of Republicans saying ICE efforts go too far was up 10 points, from 20% to 30%.

Funding for DHS is set to expire on Friday if there is no deal on DHS reforms Democrats want passed for CBP and ICE.

In a letter last week to Republican leaders, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer laid out 10 key demands from Democrats on DHS funding, including calling for judicial warrants before agents can enter private property, a ban on ICE agents wearing face masks, requiring the use of body cameras and new laws for use-of-force standards.

Republican Sen. Katie Britt, who has been deputized by leadership to lead talks on behalf of Senate Republicans, ripped into the Democrats’ proposal in a post on X last week.

“Democrats’ newest proposal is a ridiculous Christmas list of demands for the press,” Britt said. “This is NOT negotiating in good faith, and it’s NOT what the American people want. They continue to play politics to their radical base at the expense of the safety of Americans.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Monday evening that Republicans are preparing a counteroffer to Democrats’ proposal that could be made available soon. 

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Want Riley Green in the ‘Worst Way’? A Valentine’s Day reality check

Want Riley Green in the ‘Worst Way’? A Valentine’s Day reality check
Want Riley Green in the ‘Worst Way’? A Valentine’s Day reality check
Riley Green (Disney/Michael Le Brecht)

Valentine’s Day is Saturday, and if Riley Green happens to be your dream romantic partner, the “Don’t Mind If I Do” hitmaker has a bit of a reality check for you.

Riley confesses he’s not that much of a Casanova, at least when it comes to preparation. 

“I’m definitely a procrastinator when it comes to any holidays,” he reveals. “A lot of my Christmas gifts get wrapped in newspaper.”

“And I don’t know that I’ve celebrated a Valentine’s Day with a girl,” he continues, “but I would imagine that if I did, it would go a lot like that. It would be a last-minute type of flower from the grocery store type situation.”

While Riley’s much-discussed relationship status still remains unknown, we do know he appears to be free on Feb. 14. He’s not set to be back at work until he plays the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City on March 1. 

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