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Europe
Cyprus
28.01.2025 Israel will have a “privileged status” at the Paphos Airbase that will be updated with the help of the US, according to Palmas, the defense minister of the Greek Cypriot Administration. He said the airbase will not be used for offensive missions. Its main task will be to support peacekeeping and humanitarian missions in the region when needed. He pointed to the geographical proximity of Israel. “Greeks can be our brothers, but Israel is our neighbor. The Israelis are totally next to us. In three minutes, they can fly to Cyprus. From Greece, it would take some time to come here to support,” he said. He added that the airbase will be open to “friendly states” such as Jordan, Egypt and Israel, as well as the EU. “We will use it also for the joint military exercises with the US National Guard elements,” said Palmas. The administration also intends to modernize and expand the Mari Naval Base. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
France
28.01.2025 France is considering deploying troops to Greenland in response to US President Trump’s remarks about acquiring the Arctic island, French Foreign Minister Barrot said today. He confirmed that France discussed the issue with Denmark but stressed there are no immediate plans for action. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
28.01.202 Position of Paris 'has not changed: any forced displacement of Gaza’s population would be unacceptable,' argues Foreign Ministry. 'It would be a major obstacle to the two-state solution and a destabilizing factor for our close partners, Egypt and Jordan," the statement added. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Italy
29.01.2025 Storm Herminia has unleashed heavy rains and strong winds across Italy and France, leading to flash floods, landslides, and widespread disruptions. In Italy, the regions of Tuscany and Liguria have been particularly affected by Herminia’s impact. In Friuli-Venezia Giulia, authorities reported flooding. Heavy snow has been recorded in the Alpine regions, particularly along the Brenner Highway. The storm has brought torrential rain and high winds to western France. Strong winds reaching up to 110 kilometers per hour hit coastal areas. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
European Commission
29/01/2025 The first phone call of the EU's High Representative and US Secretary of State yesterday evening. Trump has put the bloc on edge with his threat to take control of Greenland, using economic coercion and military force if necessary. "I think we're going to have it," he said over the weekend. In response, EU leaders have hardened their rhetoric, vowing to defend the sprawling island. None of the read-outs mentioned the issue if Greenland was discussed at all during the Kallas-Rubio call. Last week, president Trump threatened to slap Russia with "high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions" if President Putin refused to "make a deal". The hawkish comments influenced Hungay's decision-making: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close Trump ally, raised the prospect of blocking the renewal of all sectorial sanctions against Russia. He later backed down after securing a non-binding statement on energy solidarity. Now, Secretary Rubio called for Europe 'to increase defense spending'. 'Kallas emphasised Europe's increasing investment in defence' and the importance of diversifying energy supplies. Kallas had to wait more than a week since the inauguration to speak with Rubio. They agreed to maintain 'maximum pressure' on Russia and ensure a lasting peace in Ukraine. By the time the call took place, Rubio had already spoken with several of his European counterparts, such as Poland's Sikorski, Denmark's Rasmussen, Hungary's Szijjártó and Italy's Tajani. (Source: Euronews - headquarters Lyon, France)
Russia
29 January 2025 Four drones hit an oil refinery, a Lukoil company depot, Ukrainian media said, in the Russian town of Kstovo, around 800 kilometres from the front lines. The Ukrainian army said it shot down 29 Russian drones over nine regions. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)
Serbia
Serbia's prime minister resigns; protests likely to continue. (Source: DW - Germany)
by Rujevic
28.01.2025 Serbian students' blockade protest over Novi Sad railway station incident ends. Thousands of university, college, and high school students began their roadblock protest at 10:00 a.m. local time yesterday and peacefully dispersed 24 hours later in Belgrade today. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
January 28, 2025 Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned today, becoming the highest-ranking official to step down amid a wave of anti-corruption protests that have spread across the country. The anti-government demonstrations sprang up in the wake of the roof collapsing at a railway station in the city of Novi Sad, killing 15 people and leading to calls for Vucevic to quit. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)
United Kingdom
29 January 2025 For Royal Navy, the fight is below the surface. Sailing off the south coast of England, the Russian trawler known as the Yantar carried a large radar dome behind two masts bristling with antennae. Officially, these allow the 108 metre-long craft as part of the oceanographic research fleet, to monitor ocean currents. The Yantar is known to carry two submersibles that can dive down up to 6,000 metres, allowing their crew to map, monitor and potentially sever the undersea cables that transmit data around the world. An openly provocative target. ’Britain is likely to be already engaged in direct conflict with Russia’s “dark fleet”, deep underwater and out of sight.’ On Jan 20, the Yantar was confronted by a British warship, HMS Somerset, and patrol vessel HMS Tyne. This is a spy ship,” said Healey, the Defence Secretary. The details of underwater battles typically remain shrouded in secrecy for decades. In the images released by the MoD, a third ship looms over the Yantar, RFA Proteus. The £65 million auxiliary ship, completed in 2019, also possesses submersibles – only these have the kind of claws needed to sever the cables connecting Yantar to its mischief-making deep-sea craft. For almost a decade Yantar, the 60-crewed ship has trailed undersea cables around the world, its position revealed through the pings it sends to the Automatic Identification System, a global maritime tracking network. From Guantanamo Bay to the North Sea, it is suspected of mapping out Nato’s critical underwater infrastructure to prepare for eventual conflict. The global internet network relies on around 500 undersea cables, with 60 or so running through Britain. The most important of these essential services travel across the Atlantic relying on the internet and carry critical financial data of the finance sector, payments systems, supply chains and so on between Wall Street and the City. Russia’s dark fleet is already suspected of four sabotage operations in the Baltic since November, severing cables connecting Estonia to Latvia, Sweden to Lithuania and Norway to Finland and Germany. To knock out the UK’s internet connection, dozens of cables would have to be severed simultaneously. Some analysts speculate that the Yantar’s probing missions want to go after critical military cables and discriminate those from the wider network. The location and purpose of such cables is classified. In his statement to Parliament last week, Mr Healey revealed a British submarine had surfaced near the Yantar during a sortie it made into British waters in November. The nuclear-class Astute submarine could have lurked underneath the Yantar for “days”, Mr Sharpe suggested, potentially getting close enough to take photographs of its hull and “map the underwater fittings”. In the Russian military, Gugi is the agency responsible for deep-sea espionage, reporting directly to the ministry of defence rather than the navy. The Soviet Union in the early 1970s converted dozens of trawlers into spy ships, taking advantage of their hardiness and large amounts of hangar space. Russia is able to deploy much the same tactics decades on from the Cold War stems from the protections afforded to civilian vessels under international laws around freedom of navigation. ’You may have to compromise fundamental principles like the ability of civilian ships to sail – and collect intelligence – through international waters,’ said Bego, a research associate at Chatham House. That could have knock-on effects on international shipping through the Red Sea or the tense waters in the western Pacific. Russia, which denies any spying, has already threatened to deploy warships to “protect” its civilian fleet. In part, this is a riposte to the West’s increasing naval muscle. In December, Finnish commandos boarded the Eagle S, the trawler suspected of severing the Estlink 2 power cable in the Gulf of Finland. They found the ship ’bristling’ with spy equipment that allowed it to monitor Nato ships and aircraft, Lloyds List reported. Announcing an inquiry into Britain’s undersea defences. „the committee’s inquiry will take a close look at what powers and capabilities the UK has, and how well they are being used.” Lawyers should already be working on establishing the legal basis for a boarding operation. As ever, the risk of conflict spirals in a direct confrontation. (Source: The Telegraph - United Kingdom)
Tuesday 28 January 2025 Immigration is expected to be the sole driver of population growth in the UK, death rates being projected to overtake birth rates in that time. Britain is expected to take in a total of 494,000 more people a year on average over the next decade than the amount who leave, analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals. There are expected to be about 30,000 more deaths than the number of children born over that time. Net migration in 2023 was 906,000. Total welfare spending on pensioners this year would be just over £150bn - more than the budgets of the Home Office, the Ministry of Defence, and the Department for Education combined. (Source: Sky News - United Kingdom)
Asia
China
2025.01.28 Think of it like teamwork rather than rivalry ? Developed by a Chinese company based in Hangzhou in southeastern China, the DeepSeek app is likely to be subject to Chinese government regulations, including laws related to content, data privacy, and stringent political censorship. Users have been reporting difficulties getting information about sensitive topics such as the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 or Taiwan’s independence. The South China Sea is a complex geopolitical issue involving territorial disputes, military tensions, and conflicting claims by littoral countries including China. Analysts say as the waterway is one of Beijing’s core interests, it is also listed as “highly sensitive” by censors. As DeepSeek wishes to maintain access to the Chinese market, it would seek to comply with Chinese government regulations even abroad, analysts said. “What is the South China Sea?” The reply of China’s homegrown open-source artificial intelligence model DeepSeek and its newly launched AI-assisted chatbot came almost instantly: “The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan.” The chatbot went on to explain that the People’s Republic of China “claims a large portion of the sea within the “Nine-Dash Line,” and this claim is contested by other countries in the region and is “not recognized under international law, particularly following a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which found that China’s claims have no legal basis under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).” But the answer disappeared almost instantly and in its place came a formulaic prompt: “Sorry, that’s beyond my current scope. Let’s talk about something else.” Asked additional questions about the South China Sea, such as “How many artificial islands does China have?” “Where is the Second Thomas Shoal?” and “What’s happening between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea?”, the chatbot kept insisting that it was “not sure how to approach this type of question” and repeatedly suggested users to “chat about math, coding and logic problems instead!” Try asking about Tibet! (Source: Benar News, an online news service affiliated with Radio Free Asia. Headquarters Washington D.C. U.S.)
Jan 28, 2025 In 2023 China issued regulations requiring companies to conduct a security review and obtain approvals before their products can be publicly launched. DeepSeek R1' appears to censor answers on sensitive Chinese topics, a practice commonly seen on China's internet. 'Taiwan has been an integral part of China since ancient times'. 'Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are connected by blood, jointly committed to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.' ChatGPT: From a legal and political standpoint, China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and the island democracy operates as a “de facto independent country” with its own government, economy and military. What happened during military crackdown in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in June 1989? DeepSeek's chatbot: 'Sorry, that's beyond my current scope. Let's talk about something else.' ChatGPT: “One of the most significant and tragic events” in modern Chinese history. The chatbot talked about the background of the massive protests, the estimated casualties and their legacy. What is the state of US-China ties? DeepSeek's chatbot: China is committed to developing ties with the US based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation. ChatGPT: The state of the US-China ties is complex, characterised by a mix of economic interdependence, geopolitical rivalry and collaboration on global issues. Key topics: Tensions over the South China Sea and Taiwan, their technological competition and more. “The relationship between the U.S. and China remains tense but crucial”. Who is the current US president? DeepSeek and ChatGPT said Biden, whose term ended last week as they said their data was last updated in October 2023. DeepSeek’s AI assistant was the No. 1 downloaded free app on Apple’s iPhone store yesterday afternoon, and its launch caused Wall Street tech superstars' stocks to tumble. Observers are eager to see whether the Chinese company has matched America’s leading AI companies at a fraction of the cost. (Source: Hindustan Times)
January 28, 2025 Chinese engineer Liang built the AI company after founding a successful hedge fund. "Our goal is still to go for AGI *," he said. DeepSeek has taken the decision to make all its models open-source, unlike its U.S. rival OpenAI. In open-source models, the base code is publicly available for any developer to use and modify at will. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)
* Artificial General Intelligence
Israel
1/28/2025 In recent days, U.S. Air Force C-17 planes arrived at an air base in southern Israel and departed for Rzeszów in Eastern Poland, a hub for moving weapons into Ukraine. The U.S. military transferred around 90 Patriot air defense interceptors from storage in Israel to Poland this week in order to deliver them to Ukraine. Additional equipment, like radars and other gear, will first be transferred to the U.S. to be refurbished. In late September, Netanyahu finally approved the idea. Last April, the Israeli Air Force officially decommissioned the Patriot air defense system, more than 30 years after it was first given to Israel during the first Gulf War. Netanyahu wanted to speak with President Zelensky in order to get his approval for ultra-Orthodox Israelis to make an annual pilgrimage to the city of Uman in Ukraine, where a famous Rabbi is buried. (Source: MSN / Axios = U.S.)
North America
United States
28 January 2025 Google Maps has announced plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’ after Trump’s ordered the name change. The change will be visible in the US, with both names appearing to Google Maps users outside of the country. In Mexico, it will remain the Gulf of Mexico. (Source: LBC - United Kingdom)
January 28, 2025 The Trump administration can strengthen U.S. national security and save taxpayer funds by cutting at least $60 billion in Pentagon waste and inefficiencies, according to a report released today by The Quincy Institute, Stimson Center, and Taxpayers for Common Sense. The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft believes that efforts to maintain unilateral U.S. dominance around the world through coercive force are neither possible nor desirable. QI promotes ideas that move U.S. foreign policy away from endless war and towards vigorous diplomacy in pursuit of international peace. Today, as changes in power and technology usher in a challenging new era, the Stimson Center promotes international security and shared prosperity through applied research and independent analysis, global engagement, and policy innovation. Taxpayers for Common Sense is a non-partisan budget watchdog. The organization’s mission is to ensure that the federal government spends taxpayer dollars responsibly and operates within its means. The report, Keys to Developing a More Efficient, Effective Defense at a Lower Cost, details four main categories of Pentagon spending cuts: Cancelling or reducing spending on dysfunctional or unnecessary weapons systems; Making process changes that will encourage greater spending discipline; Reducing bureaucracy, including both government personnel and the department’s hundreds of thousands of private contract employees; and Cutting excess basing infrastructure. The authors find that $12 billion or more per year could be saved by halting the F-35 combat aircraft program, as well as $3.7 billion or more per year by cutting the Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) program. They also determine that a 15% cut in bureaucratic spending would save $26 billion per year, in addition to $3-5 billion in annual savings from the targeted closures and realignments of U.S. military bases, identified currently at a 19% excess capacity. “Targeted Pentagon spending cuts can not only save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars per year, they can also sharpen America’s military by keeping it focused on the strategies and programs that work.” Eliminating dysfunctional weapons systems and outmoded business practices, the result will be more security at a lower cost. “Defunding weapons that are overpriced, underperforming, and out of step with current missions, like the F-35 combat aircraft and the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, would allow us to invest more in real priorities while also tackling the nation’s tremendous debt”. "Ignoring Pentagon waste is fiscally irresponsible and damaging to U.S. national security". (Source: Stimson - Washington D.C., U.S.)
January 28, 2025 Text of a treaty - Ratification exchange data: Washington, January 17, 1917 - outlines a deal in which the U.S. purchased a cluster of Caribbean islands - now called the U.S. Virgin Islands - from Denmark for $25 million, in exchange for recognition of Danish sovereignty over Greenland. It was signed by then-President Wilson and his secretary of state, Lansing. Declaration in August 4, 2016, undersigned by Lansing shows that "the United States of America will not object to the Danish Government extending their political abd economic interests to the whole Greenland." (Source: National Public Radio - headquarters Washington D.C., U.S.)
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