Egyik 19

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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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Europe

France
Monday 27 January 2025  People living in Western France have been hit by severe flooding, forcing residents to evacuate their homes by boat after a succession of storms, including Storm Herminia, following closely on the heels of Storm Éowyn, compounding the already saturated ground in Normandy and Brittany. The storms also impacted Spain and the UK. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

Poland
2025-01-27  Poland's sports minister has said that the recent statements made by Musk, the founder of US car manufacturer Tesla, should face strong condemnation and even a boycott of his company by all Poles due to his recent call on Germans to leave behind their Nazi past. (Source: Polish Press Agency)

27/01/2025  Some of the few remaining survivors of Auschwitz returned to the notorious Nazi death camp today. The world marked the 80th anniversary of its liberation. How much recognition is there in Poland about what happened on Polish soil during WWII? Interview with Grabowski, co-founder of the Polish Centre for Holocaust. //Video/ (Source: YouTube  - U.S. / France24)
1 329 views

Belarus
January 27, 2025  The Central Election Commission declared early today that President Lukashenko won the election with nearly 87% of the vote after a campaign in which four token challengers all praised his rule. (Source: Fox News - U.S.)

Russia
January 27, 2025  Everyone wants US forces in Ukraine except the US. Russia’s now unstoppable advance across eastern Ukraine ushers in the inevitability that Ukraine has lost, and the war will end. The election of Trump ushers in the inevitability that the war will end with a negotiated settlement. Two things are now clear about that settlement: Ukraine will not be in NATO, and Russia will be in Ukraine. Ukraine will not be in NATO because Russia will continue the war if NATO membership is on the agenda in the negotiations. But Ukraine will also not be in NATO because Trump has made it clear that he will not support NATO membership for Ukraine. Zelensky’s second choice is a large European peace keeping force with the fully committed support of U.S. troops. That large peacekeeping force, Zelensky insists, cannot come only from Europe. ’Nobody will risk without the United States.’ ’French officials have made clear that the idea would need to involve some kind of U.S. backup.’ The problem is, Ukraine’s second choice is also unacceptable to the United States. Guaranteeing U.S. forces on the ground in Ukraine to confront Russia militarily is precisely the escalation that both Biden and Trump have been unwilling to make. NATO in Ukraine with Article 5 in its pocket and the U.S. on the ground in Ukraine with a guarantee in its hand to defend it are the same unacceptable risk by another name. There is also the fear that if Ukraine were ever to attempt to recapture Crimea or the Donbas, a Russian defense could draw the U.S. into the war. Russian President Putin expressed this sort of fear in the weeks before the war. So, what’s to be done? In order to enter into negotiations, Ukraine insists that the U.S. offer security guarantees that the U.S. is not willing to give. What security guarantees the U.S. is willing to give is a matter for the U.S. to decide, and it must take the security of American citizens seriously. Perhaps security arrangements will be a decision that the U.S. will have to make independent of Ukraine and will have to negotiate with Russia before inviting Ukraine to the talks. Perhaps any security arrangement that is acceptable to Ukraine is unacceptable to the U.S. and Russia. Perhaps, the security arrangement, the solution will, at last, have to be the broader European security structure that Russia sought, and the U.S. rejected, at the end of the Cold War. Russia expressed an openness to such a solution in the security proposal it offered the U.S. and NATO two months before the war. Putin made the suggestion again on May 15, 2024 when he said that Russia is “open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including Russia’s. They must also involve a substantive discussion on global stability and security guarantees for Russia’s opponents and, naturally, for Russia itself.” (Source: Antiwar - U.S.)
by Snider, a regular columnist on U.S. foreign policy and history at Antiwar.com and The Libertarian Institute, a frequent contributor to Responsible Statecraft and The American Conservative.

United Kingdom
January 27, 2025  There is no small chance that Downing Street may be put into the awkward position of deciding whether to deploy British soldiers to Greenland on Denmark’s request, potentially to the ire of the Trump administration. The UK and Denmark are very close defence partners with co-operation in the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force and numerous additional bilateral ties. Among those is a commitment from a joint declaration in 2021 to deploy British troops to Danish territory in a “crisis“: “The UK and Denmark will cooperate on and train Host Nation Support to ensure fast deployment of UK forces through Danish territory in case of crises.” (Source: Guido Fawkes, a political website - United Kingdom)

Asia

China
Mon, Jan 27 2025  DeepSeek today said it would temporarily limit user registrations “due to large-scale malicious attacks” on its services. (Source: CNBC - U.S.)

Jan 27 2025  China’s new cheap AI DeepSeek outperforms West’s models like ChatGPT amid race to superintelligence. The Chinese owners released the app on Trump's inauguration day. DeepSeek surged to the top of Apple's App Store in the UK, US and China. (Source: The U.S. Sun)

Lebanon
January 27, 2025  22 civilians returning to their villages still under occupation in southern Lebanon were killed, 124 injured in Israeli attacks. Today marks the end of the 60-day deadline for Israeli forces to withdraw from border villages and towns in southern Lebanon, as outlined in the ceasefire agreement reached on November 27. (Source: Gulf Times - United Arab Emirates)

Syria
Jan 27, 2025  Israel launches fresh airstrikes on Syria. The military center of the 12th Brigade of the Syrian Army and the ammunition depots in that area were the targets of Israeli fighter jets. (Source: MEHR News Agency - Iran)

North America

United States
January 27, 2025  NATO was never about American security.    During the 1947 pivot to Cold War Washington has badly misplaced fears that deteriorating economic conditions in Western Europe could lead to communists coming to power in France, Italy and elsewhere. Even the worst case – a communist France (or Italy or Belgium) – was not a serious military threat to America’s homeland security, not a mortal threat to liberty and security on America’s side of the Atlantic moat. And the post-war Soviet economy, its military had been bled and exhausted by its death struggle with the Wehrmacht.     A sweeping course of economic and military interventions in European affairs - aid to Greece and Turkey, the Marshall Plan and then NATO - were clinically described as “containment” measures, only to keep the Soviet Union in its lane, not a prelude to intervention in eastern Europe or to an attack on Moscow itself. But they were seen on the Soviet side as a definitely unfriendly scheme of encirclement and an incipient assault on the Soviet sphere of influence in eastern Europe, or the cordon sanitaire, that Stalin believed he had won at Yalta. But as it happened, abandonment of Eastern Europe per the Yalta zones of influence scheme was exactly what became Washington’s de facto policy until the very end of the Cold War in 1991. The uprisings against the Soviet hegemon in Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968 and Poland in 1981 generated no response from the West beyond empty speeches and hortatory resolutions from western parliaments. The whole policy of “containment”, therefore, was actually just a large-scale and sustained effort by Washington to steer European politics away from the communist Left. NATO was essentially an instrument of political control on the European side of the Atlantic, not a military shield that added any incremental security for the citizens domiciled on the North American side of the pond.     Why was America’s fully warranted post-war demobilization reversed? Why did Washington plunge instead into deeply entangling alliances in western Europe and unnecessary confrontation and overt conflict with Soviet Russia for no good reason of homeland military security? The prevalent Keynesian theorem at the time held that post-war demobilization would result in a collapse of so-called “aggregate demand” and a resulting spiral into depression, the 1930s all over again. Most of Europe was fiscally incapacitated owing to the impacts of the war. The Marshall plan, therefore, amounted to a substitute form of fiscal stabilization and safeguard against a relapse into 1930s-style depression. During the very first year of demobilization (1946), in fact, the US’ real private GDP grew by nearly 27% from 1945 and never looked back. What in 1945 had been a private sector GDP of $1.55 trillion in today’s dollars had jumped to nearly $2.0 trillion by 1947 and to more than $2.3 trillion by 1950. In 1950s, the private GDP growth rate clocked in at 7.6% per annum over the five-year period. So the American economy never came close to tumbling into the Keynesian abyss. There was no reason to believe that the European economies would not have similarly turned the corner to civilian prosperity in due course. Washington’s “containment” policies were unnecessary as a matter of America’s homeland security – the only valid basis for the foreign policy of peaceful Republic. Based on fuzzy thinking about economics and the taste for international power politics that had been acquired by Washington’s ruling class and military contractors during WWII the US stumbled into the very entangling alliances that Washington and Jefferson had forsworn. These European foundations, in turn, surely and inexorably formed the gateway to Empire and the fiscally crushing Warfare State that now plagues the nation.     The Soviet leadership viewed themselves as relatively vulnerable and were well aware that their country was much weaker in industrial and military capability than the United States. Their prime concern was consolidating the territory and security gains in Eastern Europe. Stalin himself had still pursued a variant of detente with the Western Powers, hoping to reach a negotiated settlement on most areas of difference, especially on the question of Germany’s future. As Secretary Marshall’s June 5, 1947 speech at Harvard, the details of the American plan unfolded, the Soviet leadership slowly came to view it as an attempt to use economic aid not only to consolidate a Western European bloc, but also to undermine recently-won Soviet gains in Eastern Europe, Stalin’s new chain of Soviet-oriented buffer states, for reintegration into the capitalist economic system of the West, an offensive attempt to subvert Soviet security interests. Stalin ordered Poland and Czechoslovakia to withdraw from planning meetings in late July that involved discussions with the west about joining the Marshall Plan - discussions he had initially blessed. All Soviet bloc participation in the Marshall Plan ceased and Stalin’s calculus shifted sharply towards a strategy of confrontational unilateral action to secure Soviet interests. The Soviet leadership was moved primarily by fear of its own vulnerability to American economic power, not by a plan of world conquest which became the ultimate justification for the post-war American Empire.     The Marshall Plan had its offensive side as well, in that its authors did indeed hope to lure some of the Eastern European states out of the Soviet orbit and integrate them into the Western European economy. The plan was more than just a geostrategic move to counter Soviet expansionism. The real difficulty and source of conflict in 1947 was neither Soviet nor American aggression. The current status quo was unstable, and that assertive action was required to defend that status quo. The Western powers felt compelled to design the details of the Marshall Plan in such a way that it would stabilize Western Europe, but only at the cost of provoking a confrontation with the USSR. Neither the West nor the Soviet Union deliberately strove to provoke a confrontation with the other. The fluid political and economic conditions in postwar Europe compelled each side to design policies which were largely defensive, but had the unfortunate consequence of provoking conflict with the other.     The entanglements of the Marshall Plan and NATO were a mistake. Once both sides had the A-bomb the nuclear war was soon deemed to be unwinnable and the focus shifted to the ability to reliably deliver a devastating second strike in response to a potential nuclear provocation. To be an effective deterrent the opposing side had to believe that its opponent’s ability to deliver was operationally plausible and very highly certain. In the 1950s the US had this deterrence capacity early on – with long-range strategic bombers capable of reaching the Soviet Union and returning with mid-air refueling. These strategic bombers included the B-50 Superfortress and the B-36 Peacemaker having a range of up to 10,000 miles without refueling. The introduction of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress in 1955 - which could carry a heavy bomb load and had a range of approximately 8,800 miles without aerial refueling - removed any doubt.    For several years to follow the Soviets relied upon the Tupolev Tu-4 to deliver their nukes, which was a reverse-engineered copy of the U.S. B-29 Superfortress, including limited range and payload capacity, which made it difficult to deliver a meaningful number of A-bombs to the U.S. without risking detection and interception. The Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Age (ICBM) materialized in the second half of the 1950s. The Soviets were the first to demonstrate a successful ICBM, the R-7 Semyorka. The Soviet Union had only deployed 4 of these ICBMs by 196o. The United States conducted its own first ICBM tests at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in October 1959. By the end of 1960, the United States had deployed approximately 20 Atlas ICBMs, 129 ICBMs by the peak of the liquid fueled rocket era in 1962. As the decade unfolded, neither the logic nor logistics of nuclear deterrence ever changed. The core national security policy of both sides remained based on the certainty of a devastating second strike retaliation delivered by ICBMs securely based in hardened underground silos in their home territories. The same logic was extended to submarine based missiles.     In the mid-1960s, strategic nuclear deterrence was the heart of national security for both sides and was operated unilaterally from the home country of each. There was no risk of conventional military attacks on the US on the far side of the great ocean moats. So NATO was not any kind of useful military defense asset for the US. NATO had actually and materially added to the cost of US military security.     The nearly 300,000 US servicemen remaining in Europe and the scores of bases and facilities which supported them were stationed there for the purpose of defending European nations from a Soviet threat – but one which in any case should have been addressed by their own military capabilities from their own fiscal resources. Washington’s plunge into “entangling alliances” has had the effect of sharply lessening Europe’s Warfare State costs by effectively shifting them to American taxpayers. America didn’t get any extra homeland security in the bargain. What it did get was the privilege of indirectly footing the bill for Europe’s generous Welfare States and enslavement to the myth that global alliances, allies, bases, interventions and regime change adventures have kept the world stable and America safe. But none of that is true. (Source: Antiwar - U.S.)
by Stockman, who was a two-term Congressman from Michigan, also the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Reagan. After he had a 20-year career on Wall Street. He’s the author of three books, The Triumph of Politics: Why the Reagan Revolution Failed; The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America; TRUMPED! A Nation on the Brink of Ruin… And How to Bring It Back; and the recently released Great Money Bubble: Protect Yourself From The Coming Inflation Storm.

January 27, 2025   On Nov. 20, the US cast the only “No” vote in the U.N. Security Council against a call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. On December 31, Mearsheimer wrote on Substack about the 179-page report Human Rights Watch issued a few days earlier detailing Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Mearsheimer wrote that he wonders what people “who have supported Israel’s genocide or remained silent tell themselves to justify their behavior and sleep at night. History will not treat them kindly.” (Source: Antiwar - U.S.)
by Duncan Jr. who served as the U.S. representative for Tennessee’s 2nd congressional district from 1988 to 2019; a lawyer, former judge, and former long serving member of the Army National Guard, member of the Republican Party.

January 27, 2025  U.S. stocks tumbled today, led by tech shares, as the growing buzz around Chinese startup DeepSeek's low-cost AI model sparked concerns about the sector's high valuations. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

January 27, 2025  Colombians make up a sizable portion of the U.S Hispanic population. There were over 1,628,927 people who identified as Colombian in 2023, according to Census data. Sixty percent were born outside the United States, and 70% are either U.S.-born or naturalized citizens. Florida is home to 473,606 Colombians, according to the U.S. Census data. Florida accounted for a quarter of all U.S. trade with Colombia and it was Florida’s second-largest export market in 2019. South Florida was also a voting hub for Colombians voting abroad during the 2022 presidential elections. The country’s government set up several voting stations across the region, and more than 100,000 Colombians registered to vote here. (Source: Miami Herald - U.S.)

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Europe

Germany
26.01.2025  At an AfD rally in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Musk said, "Germans should be proud to be Germans" and "children are not responsible for the sins of their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents," adding that it is necessary to "overcome" the focus on past sins. He added: “It's good to be proud of German culture and values. We don't want to lose it in the name of multiculturalism, which blurs everything. We want to have unique cultures in the world. We don't want everything to look the same everywhere. When visiting different countries, you experience different cultures. This is unique and good.” “Germany and countries in Europe need more determination and self-determination, and less Brussels,” he wrote on X, a reference to the words of AfD leader Weidel, the party’s hopeful for the position of German chancellor. Right after Musk's yesterday speech, she mentioned the slogan of US President Trump: "Make America Great Again.” "People, did you hear that? Americans are making their country great again and we are making our country great again," she told supporters. "Make Germany great again!" In German election polls, the AfD is in second place behind the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU). (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Africa

Democratic Republic of Congo
Sunday 26 January 2025  At least 13 soldiers serving with peacekeeping forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been killed in clashes with M23 rebels, mainly made up of ethnic Tutsis. The rebel group M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region. It has made significant territorial gains in recent weeks, encircling the strategic city of Goma. The DRC has accused neighbouring Rwanda of fuelling the M23 rebellion. Decades of conflicts in the eastern DRC between rival armed groups over land and resources, and attacks on civilians, have killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced more than seven million. (Source: Sky News - Headquarters London, United Kingdom)

Sudan
26/01/2025  A bombing by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on the maternity ward of the Saudi Hospital in El Fasher, North Darfur, has killed at least 70 people and injured dozens, wiping out the city’s only fully operational health facility. (Source: Radio Dabanga - its editorial Headquarters based in exile in The Netherlands)

Asia

Lebanon
(Sunday), 26 January, 2025  The Lebanese health ministry said the Israeli army opened fire today on residents of southern Lebanon trying to return to their villages, killing 15 people and wounding dozens. (Source: The New Arab - based in London, United Kingdom, owned by a Qatari company / MENA - headquarters Kairo; news agency run by the Egyptian government)

Syria
(Sunday), January 26, 2025  Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stopped publicly announcing its military operations early this month. Reports emerged of the execution of at least 13 Alawites, including officers and at least another 50 captured in Fahel, an HTS area of operations west of the city of Homs on Friday, another area of HTS operations. On the same day, ten armed HTS personnel were killed in an ambush by Alawite gunmen near the coastal city of Jabla. Alawite officers took power in a 1963 coup and members of the sect continued dominating the country until last month. Hundreds of HTS fighters poured into the Alawite heartland on the Mediterranean coast today in an attempt to bring the area under its control. Sweep and search operations are under way and focusing on the foothills of the Alawite Mountains in Latakia, Jableh, and farms in the adjacent governorate of Tartous. Syria has sizeable Kurdish and Alawite minorities, as well as established Druze, Christian, and Ismaili communities. (Source: The National - United Arab Emirates)

North America

United States
Sunday, January 26, 2025  In a Sunday night statement, White House press secretary Leavitt said the Colombian government “has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay.” She said Mr. Trump’s threat of 25% tariffs on all incoming Colombian goods, which would’ve been raised to 50% after a week, would be “held in reserve, and not signed, unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement.” “President Trump will continue to fiercely protect our nation’s sovereignty, and he expects all other nations of the world to fully cooperate in accepting the deportation of their citizens illegally present in the United States,” she said. The visa sanctions and enhanced customs inspections Mr. Trump said would be placed on Colombian officials, allies and goods would stay in place “until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned.” Early in the morning today Colombian President Petro started this war with Mr. Trump by not accepting the flights, saying “the U.S. cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals.” Mr. Petro attacked Mr. Trump and the United States today in multiple X posts after Mr. Trump threatened sanctions, visa restrictions and other retaliatory measures due to Mr. Petro’s refusal to accept two planes carrying deported migrants into the country. These planes to Colombia are just one part of Mr. Trump’s promise of mass deportations. Planes carrying deportees have also been sent to Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras. Mr. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post today that the rejection of the two flights “has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety” of the U.S. “These measures are just the beginning,” he said. “We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States.” After Mr. Trump’s Truth Social post, Mr. Petro said he ordered his “foreign trade minister to raise import tariffs from the U.S. by 25%.” Secretary of State Rubio said later today that he was ordering a suspension of visa issuances at the U.S. Embassy Bogota consular sections. He also authorized travel sanctions “on individuals and their families, who were responsible for the interference of U.S. repatriation flight operations.” (Source: The Washington Times – U.S.)

January 26, 2025  U.S. President Trump said today that he was ordering tariffs, visa restrictions and other retaliatory measures to be taken against Colombia after its government rejected two U.S. military flights carrying migrants. Colombia accepted 475 deportation flights from the United States from 2020 to 2024, fifth behind Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador, according to Witness at the Border, an advocacy group that tracks flight data. It accepted 124 deportation flights in 2024. Last year, Colombia and other countries began accepting U.S.-funded deportation flights from Panama. Colombians emerged in recent years as a major presence on the U.S. border with Mexico, aided in part by a visa regime that allows them to easily fly to Mexico and avoid trekking though the treacherous Darien Gap. They ranked fourth with 127,604 arrests for illegal crossings during a 12-month period through September, behind Mexicans, Guatemalans and Venezuelans. Mexico hasn’t imposed visa restrictions on Colombians, as they have on Venezuelans, Ecuadoreans and Peruvians. In announcing what he called “urgent and decisive retaliatory measures,” Trump explained that he ordered “25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States,” which would be raised to 50% in one week. He said he also ordered “A Travel Ban and immediate Visa Revocations” on Colombian government officials, allies and supporters. “All Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government,” Trump wrote will be subject to “Visa Sanctions.” He did not say to which party he was referring to or provide any additional details on the visa and travel restrictions. Trump added that all Colombians will face enhanced customs inspections. Colombia is led by the government of Petro, a former leftist guerrilla. (Source: AP - U.S.)

Jan 26, 2025  The fourth confirmed member of Trump's cabinet. During Senate voting yesterday, Noem's nomination as the US Secretary of Homeland Security was approved with a majority of 59 to 34. (Source: Hindustan Times - India)

January 26, 2025  Trump has built his political career around being unapologetically pro-Israel. President Trump said he would like to see Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations increase the number of Palestinian refugees they are accepting from the Gaza Strip, potentially moving out enough of the population to “just clean out” the war-torn area to create a virtual clean slate. "Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there.” “So, I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.” Trump also said he has ended his predecessor’s hold on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. “Because they bought them.” (Source: Time - U.S.)

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Europe

January 25, 2025  Musk made a surprise appearance during Germany's AfD (Alternative fuer Deutschland) election campaign event in Halle in eastern Germany today, speaking publicly in support of the 'far right' party for the second time in as many weeks. Addressing a hall of 4,500 people alongside party leader Weidel, Musk spoke live via video link about preserving German culture and protecting the German people. Anti-far right campaigners were out in force today, with around 100,000 gathering around Berlin's Brandenburg gate and up to 20,000 in Cologne, including people of all ages carrying colourful umbrellas. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

Slovakia
/25/01/2025  On Thursday, January 23, President Pellegrini convened a meeting of the state's Security Council, claiming he had been given serious information about a threat to the state's security. "The establishment of our constitution is being threatened; there are groups of people who want to escalate tension within the country and attack the institutions of government," said Pellegrini, adding that these groups are being coordinated from abroad. PM Fico made very similar claims, saying that some groups were allegedly planning a coup. "It is an attempt to organize a typical coup in Slovakia so that the government falls and those who cannot get into power through democratic parliamentary elections come to power," he said. After Prime Minister Robert Fico alleged there were plans to escalate anti-government protests into an attempted coup, Slovaks took the streets in over 20 cities to peacefully protest 'the government's pro-Russia policy'. (Source: DW - Germany)

Russia
January 25, 2025  The S-500 regiment has already been deployed to safeguard the strategically critical Kerch Bridge. The Prometheus radar complex reportedly allows the S-500 to detect ballistic and airborne targets at up to 2,000 and 800 km, respectively. (Source: The National Interest – U.S.)
by  Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel.

Ukraine
January 25, 2025  Ukraine’s military, which has depended on the M777 155mm howitzer, has once again been burning through the barrels due to constant firing as Kyiv’s forces remain engaged in artillery duels with the Russian military. The sole U.S.-government-owned and operated arsenal has been unable to meet the “unprecedented demand” of more than 30 new barrels per month. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)
by Suciu

North America

United States
(Saturday), January 25, 2025  US military planes carrying dozens of expelled migrants arrived in Guatemala. A total of 265 Guatemalans arrived on three flights - two operated by the military, and one a charter. Washington also sent four deportation flights to Mexico on Thursday, the White House press secretary said on X, despite multiple US media reports that authorities there had turned at least one plane back. Mexico’s foreign ministry said yesterday it was ready to work with Washington over the deportation of its citizens. The White House press secretary, Leavitt, said yesterday on X that Mexico had deployed some 30,000 National Guard troops to its border. 538 illegal immigrant “criminals” were arrested Thursday, followed by another 593 yesterday. A Pentagon source told that “overnight, two DOD (Department of Defense) aircraft conducted repatriation flights from the US to Guatemala.” Yesterday’s deportees were taken to a reception center at an air force base in Guatemala’s capital, away from the media. Under Trump’s predecessor Biden deportation flights were carried out regularly, with a total of 270,000 deportations in 2024 - a 10-year record - and 113,400 arrests, making an average of 310 per day. (Source: Digital Journal - Canada)

25.01.25  Trump's administration fired the independent inspectors general of more than a dozen major government agencies late yesterday. The agencies include the departments of defense, state, transportation, veterans affairs, housing and urban development, interior, and energy. The purge affected 17 agencies but spared the Department of Justice inspector general Horowitz. Federal law requires Congress to receive 30 days’ notice of any intent to fire the inspectors general. An inspector general is an independent position that conducts audits, investigations and inspectors into allegations of waste, fraud and abuse. They can be removed by the president or the agency head, depending on who nominated or appointed them. Most of those dismissed were appointees from Trump's 2017-2021 first term. (Source: Telegraph India)

January 25, 2025  Hegseth - a 44-year-old former Fox TV host, who served in the Army National Guard in Iraq and Afghanistan - will become the next secretary of defense after a Senate majority confirmed President Trump’s choice. Hegseth has vowed to rid the military of what he and Trump have called “woke” policies. “The US military needs to confront the reality and perception that it has become too focused on political issues of social justice, political correctness, critical race theory, climate change, etc.,” Hegseth wrote in response to written questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee. In his confirmation hearing, Hegseth pledged his priorities would include reviving the US defense industrial base, overhauling the acquisition process to open up more opportunities for defense startups and rapidly adopting emerging technologies. Some Democratic lawmakers questioned his ability, given his relatively limited high-level management experience. Hegseth said he would surround himself with people who are “smarter and more capable than me.” That will include billionaire financier Feinberg, co-founder and majority owner of Cerberus Capital Management LP, who Trump has nominated to serve as Hegseth’s deputy. Hegseth will also have to navigate Trump’s close ties with billionaire Musk, whose SpaceX has become a vital partner for the Pentagon, with contracts valued in billions of dollars. At the same time, Musk is leading cost-cutting efforts across federal agencies in what Trump has dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Three Republicans  - McConnell of Kentucky, Murkowski of Alaska and Collins of Maine  -  joined Democrats in opposing his confirmation. McConnell, the former Republican leader who has frequently sparred with Trump, questioned Hegseth’s readiness to lead the Pentagon. “Effective management of nearly 3 million military and civilian personnel, an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion, and alliances and partnerships around the world is a daily test with staggering consequences for the security of the American people and our global interests,” McConnell, who leads the panel that oversees Pentagon spending, said in a yesterday statement. ’Mr. Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will pass this test.’ Murkowski and Collins also raised concerns about his earlier opposition to women in combat and allegations about his past behavior. dismissed by Hegseth as “anonymous smears.” Lawmakers voted 51-50 to back Hegseth largely along party lines as Vice President Vance cast his first tie-breaking vote. Hegseth and his deputies will be expected to deliver on Trump’s pledge to end US involvement in existing wars while deterring future aggression. An early test will come in deciding whether to continue providing US weapons to Ukraine as Trump pushes for a rapid end to the war that began with Russia’s fullscale invasion of its neighbor almost three years ago. Hegseth also is likely to press Trump’s case that allies and partners in Europe and Asia ’should spend more on their own defense’ so the US can spend less protecting them. He takes control of a budget of more than $840 billion. (Source: Gulf News - United Arab Emirates / Bloomberg - U.S.)

(January 25, 2025)  The US provided foreign aid globally budgeting about $US60 billion in 2023, about 1 percent of the US budget. The State Department has ordered a sweeping freeze on new funding for almost all US foreign assistance. Secretary of State Rubio's order, sent by cable to US embassies worldwide, specifically exempted emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt. The freeze includes funding for anti-HIV program, the President's Emergency Relief Plan for AIDS Relief, and does not appear to allow for assistance to Ukraine to continue. (Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation "with AP" - U.S.)

 South America

Argentina
January 25, 2025  Argentinian President Milei rallied against "the mental virus of woke ideology" during a fiery speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, January 23. Milei credited the fundamental values of Western civilization, like respect for life and liberty, free speech and freedom of religion, for enabling the Industrial Revolution that lifted "90% of the global population out of poverty." He then slammed wokeism as the disease that will destroy everything dear to the West. "This is the great epidemic of our time that must be cured. This is the cancer we need to get rid of. This ideology has colonized the world's most important institutions – from the political parties and governments of leading Western nations to global governance organizations, even NGOs, universities and media outlets," said Milei, adding, "Western civilization – and even the human species – will not be able to return to the path of progress demanded by our pioneering spirit. It is essential to break these ideological chains if we want to usher in a new golden age." Milei did not hold back talking about gender ideology and criticized the left for their radically liberal policies. He castigated those leaders who are "attempting to impose the idea that women are men and men are women simply based on self-perception. And they say nothing about when a man dresses as a woman and kills his opponent in a boxing ring, or when a male prison inmate claims to be a woman and ends up sexually assaulting women in prison." Milei used an example of a same-sex couple in Georgia who were jailed last month for abusing and pimping their adopted boys to a pedophile ring. The Argentine leader said, "I want to be clear when I say abuse. This is no euphemism, because in its most extreme forms, gender ideology is outright child abuse. They are pedophiles," Milei declared. Calling Musk a dear friend, Milei put up a furious defense of children against the dangers of transgenderism. "Healthy children are being irreversibly harmed through hormone treatments and mutilation, as if a 5-year-old child could possibly consent to such things, and should their family not agree to this, there will always be state agents ready to step in in favour of what they call the best interests of the child." Musk’s biological son transitioned into a girl a few years ago, which led the billionaire to remark that his child was figuratively "killed" by the "woke mind virus." Milei added, "Only now are we beginning to see the effects of an entire generation that has mutilated their bodies, encouraged by a culture of sexual relativism, and these people will have to spend their entire lives in psychiatric treatment to cope with what they have done to themselves. Yet no one dares to speak about these issues. Not only that, but the vast majority have also been subjected to the misguided self-perceptions of a tiny minority." The libertarian Milei became president in 2023, and the chaotic economy of Argentina has stabilized under his leadership. He was optimistic about his country's future, calling it a "new Argentina," but not so much about the state of the world unless wokeism is reversed. "Believe me, the scandalous experiments in the name of this criminal ideology will be condemned and likened to those committed in the darkest periods in our history," Milei ended. (Source: Fox News / The Associated Press = U.S.)

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Europe

France
22/01/2025  France saw 1,570 anti-Semitic acts in 2024, at levels unseen in recent years as the Israel-Hamas war raged in Gaza, the country's main Jewish organisation, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), an umbrella body of French Jewish groups said today. The figures only cover acts that have been the subject of a complaint, and therefore "this does not cover the entire phenomenon of anti-Semitism in France," CRIF president Arfi told. "Unfortunately, a large part of the phenomenon does not give rise to complaints, particularly in schools," he added. France is home to Europe's largest Jewish community and the third-largest in the world after Israel and the United States. (Source: France24 / AFP)

Poland
Jan. 24, 2025 Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk favours cutting benefits for refugees and migrants living and working in Poland, including Ukrainians - a proposal first put forward by the opposition PiS party. Tusk said the government will urgently look into the proposal, which was also put forward by his party’s presidential candidate Trzaskowski, the incumbent mayor of Warsaw. We cannot make the same mistake as some Western countries, such as Germany or Sweden, where it was advantageous to come only for social benefits, said Trzaskowski. He proposed to allow Ukrainians to receive benefits such as the 800 zloty (€190) monthly child benefit programme, but only if they work, live, and pay taxes in Poland. In the ruling coalition the Left is strongly opposing the proposal. The "800 plus" benefit is a Polish government programme which was introduced by PiS after its 2015 election victory and maintained by Tusk's coalition after it came to power in 2023. It provides financial support to families with children - currently a monthly payment of 800 zlotys (€190) for each child under the age of 18, an increase from the previous 500 zlotys. The benefit is universal, available to all eligible families, regardless of income level. The already-submitted PiS proposal limits the 800-plus programme to families who work in the country and pay taxes. Following February 2022 and the significant influx of war refugees arriving in Poland, the benefit was extended to Ukrainian children. However, the media reported on buses travelling from Ukraine to Poland solely to collect the monthly allowance. From the school year 2024/2025, the payment of the 800-plus benefit was linked to school attendance, which reduced the number of beneficiaries by 20,000. (Source: Euractiv - Headquarters Brussels, Belgium)

European Central Bank
(2025/1/24)  'We need to keep the savings at home. Maybe it is also time to import a few of the talents that would be disenchanted, for one reason or the other, from another side of the sea,' talked up the benefits of Trump’s election for the sluggish EU bloc European Central Bank president Lagarde on the final day of Davos. Most influential Democrats are non-fussed and staying in New York anyway. At the same time Lagarde admitted executives are not very upbeat about future growth this side of the pond and said the EU leaders needed to actually get their act together. Might not be a good idea to rely on upset Democrats for an entire continent’s growth… (Guido Fawkes - United Kingdom)

European Commission
(Friday), 24/01/2025  The EU is already preparing a 16th package of sanctions against Russia, with the view to approving them in late February. Since February 2022, the bloc has brought in sweeping bans on trade with Russia in energy, technology, finance, luxury goods, transport and broadcasting, among others. It's also frozen €210 billion assets held by the Russian central bank within the bloc, which have been used to back a multi-billion-euro loan for Kyiv. Those could all soon be put into question. The restrictions, designed to cripple Moscow's ability to finance its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, need to be prolonged every six months by unanimity, and the next deadline is 31 January. With a key deadline set to expire next week, Viktor Orbán and his deputies have raised the spectre of vetoing EU sanctions against Russia. If Hungary will use its veto to block the rollover, would trigger the collapse of a sanctions regime built across 15 packages, and depriving the EU of its tool against the Kremlin. The Hungarian envoy also made a number of requests concerning energy policy, and in particular Ukraine's recent decision to terminate the transit of Russian gas through Hungary. The decision, taken by President Zelenskyy has met with a furious reaction from Hungary and Slovakia, two landlocked countries that still purchase Russian fossil fuels. Earlier this month, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened to use his veto power in retaliation. The Commission has said it has no interest in extending the transit of Russian gas. It is an issue for Europe, an issue for central Europe. Foreign affairs ministers meet on Monday and Hungary's representative, Szijjártó, announces his country's position. (Source: euronews)

(23 January 2025)     The EU and the United States should settle any potential transatlantic trade conflicts as quickly as possible to avoid a trade war.     By March 2019 the EU began to view Beijing’s assertive economic and trade policies with greater skepticism. The Commission led by Juncker published a strategy paper describing China as the EU’s “partner, competitor, and systemic rival,” a departure from the EU’s previous approach focused on engagement and cooperation with China in almost all economic and technological areas. Throughout 2019-2020 countries like Hungary, Italy, and Germany were favoring continued economic engagement. The expectation that China would deliver on promises of reciprocal market access and adherence to WTO rules faded gradually. The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) concluded in December 2020 was the highpoint of intensive economic engagement. Its rejection by the European Parliament only a couple of months later already indicated a new, much tougher EU policy toward China, further reinforced by China’s lack of transparency and cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU had to tackle Beijing’s domestic industrial subsidies, export overcapacities, and efforts to dominate high-tech industries like solar panels and electric vehicles (EVs). The EU also confronted China’s economic support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, increasing influence in the global south, and ’efforts to drive a wedge between the EU and the United States’. Beijing also exploited the EU’s difficulties and absence of appropriate legislation to successfully counter China’s assertive economic and political actions. The Commission developed a toolkit to defend the EU against China’s policies.     The publication of the European Economic Security Strategy of June 2024, highlighted the Commission’s new resolve to ‘de-risk’ from China with instruments to protect the Single Market and counter political coercion against EU members. The toolkit is consisting of seven complex legislative measures:    The EU Foreign Subsidy Regulation of 2023 – to achieve a level playing field for all market participants within the Single Market;    The EU Anti-Coercion Instrument of 2023 – to deter coercive actions by foreign governments against EU member state countries, such as Lithuania, with the help of the imposition of import tariffs;    The International Procurement Instrument of 2022 – the possibility to exclude non-EU countries from EU public tenders if there are reciprocity problems;    The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Instrument of 2022 – companies can be fined if they tolerate human-rights violations in their production lines;    The Critical Raw Materials Act of 2024 – which is meant to bring about greater diversification in obtaining these materials;    The Net Zero Industry Act of 2024 – which is meant to reduce pollution significantly;    The European Economic Security Strategy of 2023 – reducing and de-risking/diversifying European supply chains and critical infrastructure dependence away from China.     China is the EU's third-largest partner for exports and the biggest for imports. During her second term, Commission President der Leyen has set three key priorities: 1) „to modernize the EU economy, including advancing the European Green Deal’, and increase the EU’s competitiveness along the lines of the reports by Draghi and Letta; 2) ’to increase defense budgets across EU member states’; and 3) ’to pursue an even firmer de-risking approach toward China’. 'Aligning the EU's China policy more closely with that of the United States', she also intends to revamp the US-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC), in which transatlantic policy toward China is often discussed and shaped. 'To achieve these goals, der Leyen has consolidated her own political position within the Commission'. There are five Commissioners who will have major responsibility for shaping the EU’s China policy. 'They all indicated high skepticism towards China’s economic and trade policies' and a clear and close alignment with the US position on China. Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy Séjourné’s primary focus will be enhancing EU’s strategic autonomy. In his confirmation hearing he expressed strong support for EU’s tariffs on Chinese EVs and the need to tackle China’s export overcapacity that is threatening EU’s competitiveness. Šefčovič, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency announced plans to rebalance EU-China relations and take on Beijing’s unfair trade practices as well as revamp the US-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) 'to coordinate transatlantic policies toward China'. Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space, has expressed concerns about China increasing its defense budget and becoming more militarized and aggressive. 'Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy plans to increase the EU’s role in the Indo-Pacific and intensify the EU’s relations with India and the African continent. She emphasized the need to counter China’s support of Russia’s war in Ukraine and its increasing influence in the global south'. 'Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification, has been a key figure in EU’s imposition of tariffs on Chinese EVs and has vowed to continue with such an approach'.      All 27 EU member states will have to agree on a ’firmer and more assertive’ EU policy toward China.    The much more assertive, no-nonsense approach toward China may well lead to a deterioration of EU-China relations, though both sides remain dependent on each other for trade and technology. Neither side can afford truly bad economic relations or even a trade war with each other. After ever deteriorating relations with the United States, China can hardly afford to antagonize the EU too much. The global south and Russia cannot replace the important, if not crucial role Europe has for China’s economy and technological development. It is also difficult for Europe to truly ‘de-risk’ and diversify its trade and investment away from China. An increasingly protectionist policy pursued by US policymakers will make this even more difficult. (Source: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars - Headquarters Washington D.C., U.S.)
by Larres, Global Fellow;
Krasno, Distinguished Professor in History & International Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Russia
January 24, 2025  Multiple Russian mobile operators and internet services experienced a major outage today morning, according to monitoring sites Sboi.rf, Downradar, and Downdetector. The disruption was also reported by Russia’s telecommunications regulator, Roskomnadzor, and the country’s Main Radio Frequency Center. (Source: Meduza, Headquartered Riga, Latvia)

January 24, 2025  Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency briefly suspended operations at nine airports during the night, including Moscow’s Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports, as well as airports in Kazan, Samara, Penza, Saratov, and Ufa. Most of the restrictions were lifted by morning. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 121 Ukrainian drones overnight on January 24. These reportedly included 37 in the Bryansk region, 20 in the Ryazan region, 17 each in the Kursk and Saratov regions, seven in the Rostov region, six each in the Moscow and Belgorod regions, three in the Voronezh region, two each in the Tula, Oryol, and Lipetsk regions, and one each in Moscow and Crimea. (Source: Meduza - Headquartered Riga, Latvia)

23.01.25  Russia's $2.2 trillion economy had until recently shown remarkable endurance during the war, and Putin has praised top economic officials and business for circumventing the most stringent Western sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. After contracting in 2022, Russia's GDP grew faster than the European Union and the United States in 2023 and 2024. This year, however, the central bank and the International Monetary Fund forecast sub-1.5% growth, although the government projects a slightly rosier outlook. Inflation has edged toward double digits despite the central bank hiking the benchmark interest rate to 21% in October. Russia has hiked defence spending to a post-Soviet high of 6.3% of GDP this year, accounting for a third of budget expenditure. The spending has been inflationary. Along with wartime labour shortages, it has driven wages higher. Sustained high rates would put pressure on the balance sheets of businesses and banks. (Source: Telegraph India)

Serbia
January 23, 2025  Is Serbia heading for 'coloured revolution'? Protests started after the collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station on November 1, killing 15 people. What began as outrage over a single tragedy has snowballed into a broader movement challenging the 13-year rule of President Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). The government’s attempts to placate protesters – including the arrests of officials implicated in the Novi Sad tragedy – have done little to quell the unrest. Vucic has even offered to face a referendum on his presidency, but to no avail. Vucic’s government is not standing idly by. In a bid to counter the protests, he announced the creation of a new Movement for the People and the State, aimed at rallying support for his administration. While Vucic has retained control of key institutions and enjoys significant support especially in rural areas and outside the main cities, the parallels to Otpor – the student-led movement that toppled Milošević in 2000 – are impossible to ignore. (Source: bne IntelliNews - Germany)

22. 01. 2025.  Serbia is currently experiencing large-scale protests in the wake of the tragic collapse of a part of the Novi Sad railway station in November. The ruling party and the pro-government media have claimed on multiple occasions that the protests were supported from abroad. A group of people without any apparent involvement in Serbian domestic politics, was designated as a security threat and banned from entering the country. During the night of 21-22 January, a group of participants of a civil society conference organized in Belgrade were unexpectedly questioned by the police and then asked to leave Serbia within 24 hours. The conference was titled “Earned Income Strategies for Purpose-driven Organisations: How to Leverage Your Strengths and Navigate the Technical and Moral Limits of Markets” and was organized by NGO Academy, which is a joint initiative of the ERSTE Foundation and the Competence Center for Nonprofit Organizations and Social Entrepreneurship of Vienna University for Economics and Business. At least 14 participants of the conference were asked to leave Serbia for representing a “security risk”. They come from Albania, Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Moldova,  North Macedonia, Romania, and Slovenia. (Source: European Western Balcans - owned and run by the Centre for Contemporary Politics think tank based in Belgrade, Serbia)

United Kingdom
January 24, 2025   Rolls-Royce lands $11 billion nuclear submarine deal with the UK. (Source:Greek Reporter)

Asia

Saudi Arabia
1/23/2025  Yesterday Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman told President Trump he’s willing to expand investments and trade with the US in the coming four years by $600 billion, according to the kingdom’s state-run news agency SPA. The commitment is large, it amounts to around 55% of the country’s gross domestic product. Trump’s secretary of state, Rubio, also spoke by phone to the crown prince overnight. Oil prices have dropped since 2022 and, at around $80 a barrel, are roughly $10 a barrel below what’s needed for the Saudi government to balance its budget, according to the International Monetary Fund. (Source: MSN / Bloomberg = U.S.)

North America

United States
Jan 24, 2025  In a post on social media platform X, Leavitt, Trump's press secretary said: “The Trump Administration arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals including a suspected terrorist, four members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and several illegals convicted of sex crimes against minors.” She added that hundreds of “illegal immigrant criminals” had been deported via military aircraft. Framing illegal immigration as a national security crisis, Trump has also allowed for military service members to act as immigration and border enforcement officers as part of his mass deportation program. He has also ordered the suspension of the US Refugee Admission Program from January 27, 2025. (Source: Hindustan Times - India)

Thursday, 1/23/2025  President Trump addresses participants at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos today. /Video/ (Source: YouTube / CNBC = U.S.)
203 205 views

January 23, 2025  Trump said Biden received "very bad advice" to pardon five relatives - but not himself. "You know what the funny thing - maybe the sad thing - is? He didn’t give himself a pardon," Trump told Fox News’ Hannity in his first interview after assuming office. "And if you look at it, it all had to do with him - I mean, the money went to him." (Source: The Week - India)

January 23, 2025  External Affairs Minister Jaishankar has said that India was open to the US deporting undocumented Indians back to the country. Jaishankar said India was firmly opposed to illegal mobility and illegal migration. India was working with the US to deport over 1,80,000 Indians in the US who are there illegally. "We want Indian talent and Indian skills to have the maximum opportunity at the global level. At the same time, we are also very firmly opposed to illegal mobility and illegal migration." He said that was conveyed to Secretary of State Rubio. Trump on the third day of his Presidency signed more executive orders against illegal immigration. An executive order “suspends the physical entry of aliens engaged in an invasion of the United States through the southern border." The order directs the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice and State to take all necessary action to immediately repel, repatriate and remove illegal aliens across the southern border of the United States. Meanwhile, the U.S. border agents have been told to deport migrants crossing into the country illegally without allowing them to request legal protection. This means that the US obligations under domestic and international law to ensure people fleeing persecution are not returned to danger no longer followed. One of the officials said Border Patrol agents were directed to swiftly deport migrant adults and families traveling with children under the president's directives, after taking their biometrics and fingerprints. Migrants who are not from Mexico are to be detained pending their deportation. Those with criminal histories are subject to prosecution in the U.S. under a long-standing practice, the official said. (Source: The Week - India)

23/1/2025  A fire has broken out north of Los Angeles, with some 50,000 people under evacuation orders or warnings. (Source: DW - Germany)

22 Jan 2025  President Trump has ordered raids on schools, churches and hospitals to enforce arrest of illegal immigrants in the United States. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. Under the policy, ICE is empowered to quickly deport undocumented individuals who cannot prove they have resided in the United States continuously for more than two years. (Source: Daily Trust - Nigeria)

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Europe

Russia
January 21, 2025  Russian drone attacks involved 131 Russian drones and four ballistic missiles. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 72 of the drones, the air force said. Russia’s Defense Ministry said today it destroyed 55 Ukrainian aerial drones - 22 over Bryansk, 12 drones over Rostov, 10 over the Smolensk region. Other intercepts took place over Voronezh, Saratov, Kursk, Smolensk and Belgorod. (Source: VoA - United States)

Ukraine
(21 January 2025)  Ukraine has detained its army's chief psychiatrist for alleged 'illegal enrichment' charges related to earnings of more than $1m (£813,000) accrued since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022. In a statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said the man sat on a commission deciding whether individuals were fit for military service. He owned three apartments in or near Kyiv, one in Odesa, two plots of land and several BMW luxury cars, and investigators searching his home also found $152,000 (£124,000) and €34,000 in cash. The man did not declare the property, which was registered in the name of his wife, daughter, sons, and other third parties. He now faces ten years in jail. Druz was implicated in a similar case in 2017, leading him to be suspended. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

January 21, 2025  Ukraine’s Security Service and State Bureau of Investigation reported the arrest of two generals and a colonel - Brigadier General Halushkin, Lieutenant General Horbenko, and Colonel Lapin, the former commanders of the “Kharkiv” operational-tactical group, the 125th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade, and the 415th Separate Rifle Battalion of the 23rd Separate Mechanized Brigade - on suspicion of negligence, which allegedly allowed Russian forces to capture strategic areas of the Kharkiv region in May 2024. (Source: Meduza - Hedquarters Riga, Latvia)

Arctic

21 January 2025  'Artic' challenge. Russia's Roskongress foundation, which gathers foreign investors, assures that more than 80 per cent of Russia's entire gas supply lies in the Arctic, and as of 2019 Russia has even expanded its coastal zone by 1.2 million square kilometres in the direction of the North Pole. The waters of the Arctic are not only used to drill surfaces for useful minerals to be extracted, but also to place military bases and control the routes of cargo ships. The Russians use these bases to test nuclear weapons of limited power and long-destination missiles, and in 2021 Putin established the Northern Fleet as an autonomous district of the Russian army. Rosatom controls the entire northern maritime corridor, where a large commercial transport plan from China to St. Petersburg is being organised, and the Russian Fesco (Far-Eastern Shipping Company) under the control of the military has already been set up. Every year, China increases the volume of its cargoes along this directive, and Russia in return builds nuclear icebreakers for the Chinese, so much so that China also calls itself the ‘superpower of the Arctic’. The Northern Sea Corridor reduces the duration of transport between China and Europe by one and a half times and avoids passing south through the Suez Canal, which is increasingly unsafe for shipping. Since 2007, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources has declared, following an expert expedition, that Russia holds the rights to the ‘Lomonosov Ridge’. This is a ridge discovered by the Russians in 1948 that crosses the central part of the Arctic Ocean, passing almost under the Polar Circle for an extension of 1. 800 kilometres, from the islands of Novosibirsk to the island of Ellesmere, in the part of the Arctic archipelago on Canadian territory, for a width of between 60 and 200 km at over 3,000 metres above the ocean floor. (Source: AsiaNews, an official press agency of the Catholic Church's Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME)/
by Rozanskij

Asia

Turkey
21 January 2025   At least 76 people have died and more than 50 others were injured in a fire at a ski resort after blaze broke out in the restaurant of the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel in the mountain-top resort of Kartalkaya in northwestern Turkey at 3:27 a.m. local time (0027 GMT) today. The hotel was reported to be between 80-90% full due to school holidays, with over 230 guests checked in. (Source: DW - Germany)

Central America

Panama
January 21, 2025     In 1989, the United States invaded Panama aiming to depose dictator Noriega, who faced drug trafficking charges and threatened U.S. interests by not honoring the terms of the treaties and cozying up to Cuba and Nicaragua.    In 2024 the canal suffered from a drought that forced limits on the number of ships transiting and affected revenues. The canal authority is contemplating construction of a $1.6 billion dam to increase water storage capacity.    The Chinese presence around the canal threatens U.S. security, it is admittedly troubling. Hong Kong-based firms won bids to construct facilities adjacent to the canal, and unquestionably they are beholden to the Chinese Communist Party. A Chinese firm has constructed a bridge across the canal, and there has been discussion of a possible railroad across the isthmus. Panama recognizes that China has been and may in the future be an important source of the capital needed for its infrastructure development. A global challenge of this nature is simply not amenable to the quick and easy solution of threatening or even engaging in military action against one weak country. There even have been at times discussions of potential Chinese-built alternatives to the Panama Canal (a canal in Nicaragua and a railroad in Colombia).    If Trump is genuinely concerned about the Chinese presence, options exist. The United States, Panama, or the two countries together could offer to buy the facilities from their owners. If this is rejected, Panama could consider nationalizing them, while paying appropriate compensation. Under these circumstances Panama might well need significant U.S. political and economic support in the face of Chinese displeasure. But if the facilities are to remain in Chinese hands, Panama, with U.S. support, could implement additional security measures such as doing background checks on those working in them, electronically monitoring the sites, etc.    An invasion to secure the canal is well within U.S. capabilities, and could be accomplished quickly. An airport - perhaps the former Howard Air Force Base, now Panama Pacific International Airport - would have to be seized and combat troops funneled through it, or a Marine expeditionary unit could make an amphibious landing. Carrier-based aviation could assure that Panama’s tiny police helicopter fleet is unable to interfere with operations. Panama City, with a population of over one million people, lies at the canal’s Pacific entrance. The invading force might have to deal with protests, potentially violent, both initially and for an indefinite time thereafter, forcing it to become becoming a permanent occupation force. Such an action now would likely be universally and ferociously negative. It would also have to address the risk of easily mounted drone attacks that could damage the locks or simply threaten vessels passing through the canal to the point where they would be uninsurable. And after the seizure of the canal, there would probably be an end to current cooperation from the Panamanian government on migration pouring north from the Darien Gap. Thus, U.S. forces would need to take on the additional burden of serving as a forward-deployed border patrol.   The United States could cancel its free trade agreement, isolate its banking sector, and deny Panamanians visas. Perhaps an exhausted, browbeaten Panamanian government would then return the canal to the United States. But an occupying force would still be needed to protect the canal from riots, drone attacks, or other responses from an irate people. Any sanctions against Panama would almost certainly be unilateral, with no other country joining in the effort. If Trump wants the canal back during his upcoming term, he will probably have to send in the troops. (Source: War on the Rocks)
by Sanders, a senior fellow on the Western Hemisphere at the Center for the National Interest and a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; a former member of the senior foreign service of the U.S. Department of State, assigned to posts throughout Latin America and to positions in Washington dealing with the region. He also served at the Department of Defense as foreign policy advisor to the chief of staff of the U.S. Army.

North America

United States
1/21/25  President Trump has ended the Secret Service protection assigned to former national security hawk adviser Bolton. Former President Biden reinstated the protection upon taking office in 2021, after Bolton was fired by president Trump, who terminated his security detail. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post in January 2023: "I found Bolton to be one of the dumbest people in Government but, I am proud to say, I used him well." Trump also used an executive order to revoke "any active or current security clearances" held by 51 former intelligence officials, including Bolton, who signed a letter in 2020 casting doubt on the provenance of the Biden laptop story. Included in the list are former National Intelligence Director Clapper Jr., former Central Intelligence Agency Directors Hayden and Brennan and former Defense Secretary Panetta. (Source: Newsweek - United States)

January 21, 2025, Tuesday  President Trump has issued an executive order rolling back policies aimed at supporting transgender rights and gender-identity protections, as well as addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The order, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” mandates that all federal government agencies remove “radical gender ideology” from their guidance and policies. Trump’s directive also establishes that the U.S. government will officially recognize only two genders, male and female, and that passports, visas, and other official documents will reflect this binary classification. Additionally, the order prohibits federal agencies from promoting gender transition or funding gender transition services for prisoners. Trump's new order declares that it is government policy that biological sex is immutable and that agencies should cease any efforts that suggest otherwise. The administration will also conduct a review of diversity-related programs, including environmental justice grants and diversity training, with the aim of eliminating those deemed discriminatory. (Source: Novinite - Bulgaria)

2025.01.21  U.S. President Trump described North Korea as a “nuclear power,” raising the prospect of a change in the long-held U.S. policy of denying North Korea recognition as a nuclear weapons state and insisting that it abandon its weapons program. The term “nuclear power” is normally taken to refer to five nuclear-weapon states – U.S., China, Britain, France and Russia – that are officially recognized as possessing nuclear weapons in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, otherwise known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT. During a Senate confirmation hearing last week, Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Hegseth, also called the North a “nuclear power.” South Korea rejected the term, stressing that North Korea could never be recognized as a nuclear power because to do so would imply abandoning the goal of denuclearization. (Source: Radio Free Asia - Headquarters Washington D.C., U.S.)

January 21, 2025  US prez says a thousand Biden appointees will be ousted. He warned that his Presidential Personnel Office will vet remaining appointees of Biden and remove more than a thousand of them if they are against his administration's policies. Declaring "You're fired", Trump named four officials, including Andres (President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition), (General) Milley (National Infrastructure Advisory Council), Hook (Wilson Centre for Scholars) and Bottoms (President's Export Council). Trump also ordered a regulatory freeze, stopping officials from bringing up regulations until the new administration takes assumes full control Trump also rolled back Work from Home options, ordering federal officials to come back to office full-time. (Source: The Week - India)

21 January 2025  Among the first executive orders signed yesterday by new US President Trump was the lifting of sanctions imposed by Biden against Israeli settlers and extreme right-wing groups involved in violence against Palestinians or in the occupation of land in the West Bank. The White House tenant also said he was ‘not confident’ in the holding of the truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. (Source: AsiaNews, an official press agency of the Catholic Church's PIME)

21 January 2025, Tuesday      On first day in office, hours after being sworn in as 47th president of US, President Trump signed several executive orders yesterday.    The first item was the rescission of 78 Biden-era executive actions, executive orders, presidential memoranda and others.    Trump signed executive orders restoring free speech protection, ending the weaponization of government, a regulatory and hiring freeze for government agencies, the return to in-person work, and a cost of living crisis directive.      Returning to the White House after his address, Trump signed an executive order to pardon nearly 1,500 defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol;    Declaring national emergency at southern US border paves the way to deploy American troops there: "All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places in which they came," said the president;    Ending birthright citizenship: "This next order relates to the definition of birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment of the United States. That's a good one. Birthright. That's a big one," he said. Under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, any person born within the territory of the US is an American citizen;    An executive order designating cartels and other organizations to be foreign terrorist organizations: "Mexico probably doesn't want that. We have to do what's right. They're killing our people. They're killing 250,000-300,000 American people a year," he said. He also said he wanted to work with countries from South America to coordinate immigration in general. I'm fine with legal immigration. I like it. We need people, and I'm absolutely fine with it," said the president;    An executive order to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement. He also signed a letter that will be transmitted to the UN explaining the withdrawal from the treaty;    Trump also ordered the US to leave the World Health Organization (WHO). "World Health ripped us off. Everybody rips off the United States, and that's it. It's not going to happen anymore," he told reporters. Trump said the US paid $500 million to the UN body. "Seemed a little unfair to me, so that wasn't the reason, but I dropped out...China pays $39 million and we pay $500 million, and China's a bigger country," he said;    Trump has suspended all US foreign assistance programs for 90 days pending reviews of consistency with his policy. "All department and agency heads with responsibility for United States foreign development assistance programs shall immediately pause new obligations and disbursements of development assistance funds to foreign countries," said the executive order. It did not explicitly put forward how much assistance would initially be affected by the move. It said the US foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases are antithetical to American values, adding: "They serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries;"    Reinstatement of Cuba on state sponsors of terrorism list, reversing an executive order issued by Presiden Biden just days earlier. Biden had removed the designation under a plan negotiated by the Vatican to secure the release of political prisoners in Cuba. In response, Cuban authorities had begun releasing detainees. The Trump administration's move complicates Cuba's pledge to release more than 500 prisoners under the agreement. It remains unclear how many additional detainees will be freed following Trump's decision. Cuban President Diaz-Canel condemned the reversal, describing it on social media as an “act of mockery and abuse.” Cuba has consistently denied allegations of supporting terrorism;    Trump signed an executive order in an attempt to delay a ban of the popular short-video app TikTok for 75 days. According to the order, Trump is pursuing a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans. "I think the US should be entitled to get half of TikTok," he told reporters while signing executive orders at the Oval Office. He said TikTok could be worth a trillion dollars. "Essentially with TikTok, I have the right to sell it or close it, and we'll make that determination, and we may have to get an approval from China too. I'm not sure, but I'm sure they'll approve it," he said. He also said his administration will work on "a joint venture" between the US and undisclosed other entities. "I think you have a lot of people that would be interested in TikTok with the United States as a partner," he added. On Friday, (January 17), the US Supreme Court upheld a law that would ban TikTok unless its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, divests from the app. After going offline earlier Sunday, TikTok announced that it was in the process of restoring services to its US users following assurances from Trump. (Source: Yeni Safaq / Anadolu Agency = Turkey)

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United States
January 20, 2025  Inauguration 2025: Trump sworn in as 47th president /Video/ (Source: Associated Press)

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United States
January 17, 2025, 12:08 PM  ’A new NATO deal for America’. More than 60 senior trans-Atlantic defense leaders have outlined a new NATO deal for the United States. In exchange for a significant European defense buildup, the United States would continue to deploy troops in Europe at about the current level. U.S. reserve forces that were once earmarked for a conflict in Europe would be able, if necessary, to shift their attention more to Asia. The European allies on their own must by 2030 collectively provide at least half of all the capabilities designated for NATO’s defense in Europe. This share should rise to two-thirds by 2035. These minimum requirements would ’dictate defense spending at a level well above 3 percent of GDP’. The proposed charter suggests the creation of two European shield corps forward-deployed in Poland and Romania, backed up by four reserve European war-fighting corps. The four new reserve corps would be used to quickly transform the current Allied Reaction Force into an Allied Heavy Mobile Force. Europe will need to produce more so-called enablers, such as strategic airlift, air-to-air refueling, and operational intelligence. The United States would agree to permanently station fully ready units in Europe, including the U.S. Army’s V Corps, the Third Air Force, and the U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet, along with Marine Corps and special operations forces units. To ensure smooth military operations, they would be complemented by cyberdefense, integrated air and missile defenses, and efforts to remove impediments to military mobility. NATO’s nuclear deterrence also needs to be strengthened, including broader nuclear-sharing arrangements and greater nuclear cooperation between Britain and France. ’The NATO-Russia Founding Act should be set aside for now’. The charter endorses creating a defense, security, and resilience bank, which has been under study by the NATO International Staff since 2019. Loans and loan guarantees would be made to NATO members and their defense industries. The charter proposes ways to significantly accelerate Europe’s ability to execute defense plans already developed for the alliance recently by the supreme allied commander Europe. It is now being circulated informally to European governments and the incoming Trump team. The charter was formally presented to senior NATO officials in Brussels last week. The upcoming June NATO Summit in The Hague would be the right place for alliance leaders ’to implement’ the ideas contained in Atlantic Charter 2025. European GDP growth averaging less than 1 percent in 2024 will make it difficult for many countries to increase defense spending without deep cuts elsewhere.  (Source: Foreign Policy)
by Binnendijk, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, former senior director for defense policy at the U.S. National Security Council, vice president of the National Defense University, legislative director for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee;
Vershbow, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, senior advisor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House, former U.S. ambassador to NATO and Russia, assistant defense secretary, and NATO deputy secretary-general.

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Europe

France
20.01.2025  French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou warned today that France and the EU could be crushed if they fail to react to the policies announced by US President-elect Trump, who will be sworn in later today. The United States has decided on an incredibly dominating policy through the dollar, through industrial policy, through the capture of all research and the capture of investments, Bayrou said. "If we do nothing, we will be dominated, crushed, marginalized," he added. He highlighted China's trade surplus exceeding $1 trillion in December, stressing the need for coordinated action. "France and Europe are today facing two challenges, American and Chinese policies," he said. France and Europe cannot remain passive in the face of these challenges, he added. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Germany
Jan 19 2025     It makes sense to hypothesize the war’s possible outcomes and risks, as well as its consequences for Germany and Europe.   Three possible scenarios:    1. Russia wins the war.    2. Ukraine wins the war.     3. Nobody wins and the conflict then remains in an unstable stalemate.       The first scenario is unlikely but entails a high risk for Germany and Europe.    The second scenario is less unlikely but is also associated with a high risk due to the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons.    The third scenario is more likely and presents a comparatively lower, nonetheless sensible risk.       Conclusions:      Germany has - apart from its muddling through approach practiced until now - various security policy options depending on the outcome of the war in Ukraine:    1. The completion of a fully integrated EU defense, economic and financial union.    2. The assumption of a quasi-hegemonic leadership role as the primary American mainland sword in Europe.    3. The assumption of a strong nationalist role in Europe.    4. The formation of a European Caucus within NATO and close security policy cooperation between NATO and the EU.   So far, the political will and the corresponding framework conditions have been lacking. The only exception is the right-wing AFD (Alternative for Germany) who wants to leave NATO and the EU as well as to stop the sanctions against Russia. While the AFD is clearly striving for the third option, Social Democrats lean more toward the fourth, the Greens to the first and Christian Democrats to the second option.     The outcome of the war in Ukraine will have a decisive impact on German and European security. The possibility of a Russian victory would entail high security risks for Germany and Europe and would have far-reaching negative consequences for Ukraine and the stability of the continent. It should, therefore, absolutely be prevented. A Ukrainian victory may be desirable, but it is associated with a high risk of nuclear escalation, which could lead to the destruction of Ukraine, or even Europe. A stalemate would probably result in a new 'Cold War', which, at best, could be transformed into a 'Cold Peace” in the form of non-violent competition between systems. At worst, it would mean permanent tensions and the threat of war in the sense of a constant struggle for the right order.   There are three common truths when dealing with European security:   One is that Russia remains a relevant Eastern European neighbor for Germany and the EU in terms of geography and potential.   The USA will remain an indispensable player in European security for the foreseeable future, also during the second term of Trump. Germany and Europe thus have an interest in appropriate US involvement in and for Europe.    China plays a significant role in this conflict. In the event of a Russian victory China could feel encouraged to use force to achieve its goals concerning Taiwan. A Russian defeat would compromise Chinese ambitions and allow the US to focus on Beijing. That is why China has no interest in a defeated Russia.    A stalemate in the Ukraine war, leading to a stable armistice, would tie the US to Europe and enable Beijing to play the role of mediator, whose influence in Europe and Russia would increase.   Regardless of the scenario, 'Berlin will have to spend more on its own and EU defense'. The more the US involvement in Europe decreases, the greater the German and European defense burden will be. 'In the current election campaign parties from the political center are competing with tough announcements on higher defense expenditures going from more than 2 percent of GDP (Christian Democrats, Social Democrats) to 3 percent (Christian Social Union) to 3.5 percent (Greens)'. 'Germany’s share of the support costs for Ukraine is likely to increase' although it is already the biggest European supporter in terms of total bilateral allocations. At the same time, Berlin must advance the European integration project and contribute to the economic and political stabilization of Eastern Europe. This is expected to lead to increased national budget conflicts and social tensions in Germany which could favor extremist parties. In order to minimize such conflicts, "possibilities for peaceful coexistence" with an 'imperialist' Russia must be explored.   A victorious peace is unlikely for any of the protagonists. The costs of war are constantly rising not only for the direct opponents of the war but also for their supporters and the not-inconsiderable number of states that are staying out. Berlin should strive for a settlement along the lines of the third scenario. This combines a territorial compromise acceptable to both opponents with the maintenance of Ukraine’s legal position and postpones a final settlement to the future. While being staunch supporters of a Ukraine victory, the parties of the political center have started to realize the new realities, however, do not yet draw the respective conclusions. The parties from the extreme left and right spectrum are already arguing in the direction of the third scenario but they have a negative concept of both pillars of European stability, NATO und EU, and 'a naïve view of the aggressor Russia'.   NATO is there to keep the Russians out, the Americans in and the Germans involved. Sufficient defense capability and détente can enable security between system opponents. After all, Russia will not disappear from the scene and will one day be interested in co-operation again. Berlin should be careful not to grow into a hegemonic role in the long run because this could entice conflict and the build-up of counter-alliances. This means staying engaged in the European project and investing in European integration more than ever. (Source: E-International Relations - United Kingdom)
by Dr. Ehrhart, a Senior Research Fellow of the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH). He has held visiting research appointments at the Research Institute of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Bonn, the Fundation pour les Etudes de Défense Nationale, Paris, the Centre of International Relations at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada, and the EU Institute for Security Studies, Paris.

Poland
15.01.2025  'Russia plotted attacks on airlines globally, claims Polish premier'. 'I can confirm that Russia planned act sof air terror, not just against Poland but against airlines globally,' Donald Tusk says following meeting with President Zelenskyy in Warsaw. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

15 January 2025, 13:04   In 1943-44, Ukrainian nationalists massacred about 100,000 Poles in Volhynia and other regions that were then in eastern Poland, then under Nazi German occupation, and which are now part of Ukraine. Entire villages were burned down and their inhabitants killed by the nationalists and their helpers who were seeking to establish an independent Ukraine state. Poland considers the events a genocide and has been asking Ukraine to let them exhume the victims to give them proper burials. Some of the Second World War-era Ukrainian nationalists are today regarded as national heroes because of their struggle for Ukraine’s statehood. A non-governmental organisation, the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, said on Monday that it would begin exhumation work on victims in Ukraine in April. Kyiv has something to gain from allowing the exhumations. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has vowed to use his country’s presidency of the European Union to push forward with Ukraine’s bid for membership. Tusk has been working for some time to embrace an inclusive form of patriotism  - part of an effort to prevent nationalist conservatives from presenting themselves as Poland’s leading advocates of the country’s interests. It is particularly important as his party’s candidate in a presidential election in May is expected to face a strong challenge from a 'nationalist' opposition candidate. (Source: LBC - United Kingdom)

Spain
(20 January 2025) 09:30  Spain premier aims to limit and ban non-EU citizens from buying homes - an attempt to fight a growing housing crisis when neither they nor their families live there and therefore they are speculating. Non-residents from outside the EU bought some 23,000 houses and flats in Spain during 2023 soaring prices, including in the capital, Madrid. Spain was seeing a shortfall of about 200,000 new houses every year based on current demand. Either proposal by Sanchez - taxing purchases at 100% their value, or an outright ban - would require approval from parliament. (Source: Luxembourg Times)

Greenland
January 20th, 2025  Neither the US nor Danish and Greenlandic authorities have so far found anything that warrants further military buildup in Greenland. It’s most crucial role in the defence of the North American continent is to facilitate radars and other means of domain awareness in order to know what flies in from Eurasia. The US Space Command operates radars at Pituffik, formerly known as Thule Air Base, that look for incoming missiles and monitors space-based threats. As Russia reopens bases along the Siberian coast, the US might want to defend those radars by, for instance, preparing the base for F35 jets. This is facilitated by the 1951 agreement, which will also facilitate new radars on the East coast of Greenland and on drones and vessels operating along the coast. Denmark has allocated some funds to this purpose. A misreading of dynamics across the distinct Arctic theatres, misguided militarisation of Greenland risks setting in motion a spiral of escalation that no one wants, will leave all less secure and will harm rather than help US national security and regional peace. Chinese activity is very far from Greenland, there are no Chinese investments or infrastructure. In the Far East, the Chinese navy has occasionally joined Russian coast guard manoeuvres in the Bering Strait near Alaska. Russia revamps Cold War bases to defend their onshore natural resources against possible adversaries. Russia is also developing the Northern Sea Road along the coast. Most activity concerns Liquefied Natural Gas from the Yamal peninsula in the East. There are indeed Russian and Chinese ships in the Arctic, but these vessels are too far away from Greenland. The US already controls the territory in terms of military security, as formalised in a 1951 agreement with Denmark co-signed by the autonomous Government of Greenland in 2004. In the European Arctic, Russia’s nuclear strategy depends on defending the Kola Peninsula where most of the missiles meant for the US are placed. In the event of a conflict, this involves pushing back NATO forces across Northern Scandinavia and the Barents Sea. Norway has recently invited the US and UK navies back, and each of the Scandinavian countries recently concluded agreements with the US to allow more flexible movement and stationing of troops. Russian second-strike capability in the event of a nuclear conflict relies on submarines having come out of Murmansk, hiding under the polar ice, and sneaking through the “GIUK” gap between Greenland, Iceland and the UK. The US, the UK and Norway are “phishing” for these submarines, Russian vessels in the vicinity of Greenland. Denmark is likely going to chip in as a result of the defence spending negotiations currently being concluded in the Danish parliament. Military investments are both immensely expensive under Arctic conditions and might escalate tensions in the Arctic without contributing positively to US security. Greenlanders, knowing their geography, fear no invasion. They do worry that civilian critical infrastructure is vulnerable to sabotage – particularly telecommunications that depend on only two submarine cables. (Source: London School of Economics - England)

Asia

Gaza
(Sunday), January 19, 2025 | 13:26  Israel today said a truce with Hamas began in Gaza at 0915 GMT, nearly three hours after initially scheduled, following a last-minute delay on the orders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During the delay, Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed eight people. A statement from Netanyahu's office, issued less than an hour before the truce had been set to start at 8:30 am (0630 GMT), said he had "instructed the IDF (military) that the ceasefire... will not begin until Israel has received the list" of hostages to be freed. Hamas attributed the delay to technical reasons, as well as the complexities of the field situation and the continued bombing, ultimately publishing at around 10:30 am the names of three Israeli women to be released today. Israel confirmed it had received the list and that the truce would begin at 11:15 am local time. The initial exchange was to see three Israeli hostages released from captivity in return for a first group of Palestinian prisoners. A total of 33 hostages taken by militants during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel will be returned from Gaza during an initial 42-day truce. Under the deal, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli jails. Israel's justice ministry had previously said 737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees would be freed during the deal's first phase, starting from 4:00 pm (1400 GMT) today. Egypt yesterday said more than 1,890 Palestinian prisoners would be freed in the initial phase. Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty said 600 trucks a day would enter Gaza after the ceasefire takes effect, including 50 carrying fuel. Of the 251 people taken hostage, 94 are still in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. Under the deal, Israeli forces will withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza and allow displaced Palestinians to return "to their residences', the Qatari prime minister said. (Source: Gulf News - Dubai, United Arab Emirates / AFP - France)

North America

United States
January 17, 2025, 12:08 PM   ’A new NATO deal for America’. More than 60 senior trans-Atlantic defense leaders have outlined a new NATO deal for the United States. In exchange for a significant European defense buildup, the United States would continue to deploy troops in Europe at about the current level. U.S. reserve forces that were once earmarked for a conflict in Europe would be able, if necessary, to shift their attention more to Asia. 'The European allies on their own must by 2030 collectively provide at least half of all the capabilities designated for NATO’s defense in Europe. This share should rise to two-thirds by 2035'. These minimum requirements would ’dictate defense spending at a level well above 3 percent of GDP’. The proposed charter suggests the creation of two European shield corps forward-deployed in Poland and Romania, backed up by four reserve European war-fighting corps. The four new reserve corps would be used to quickly transform the current Allied Reaction Force into an Allied Heavy Mobile Force. Europe will need to produce more so-called enablers, such as strategic airlift, air-to-air refueling, and operational intelligence. The United States would agree to permanently station fully ready units in Europe, including the U.S. Army’s V Corps, the Third Air Force, and the U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet, along with Marine Corps and special operations forces units. To ensure smooth military operations, they would be complemented by cyberdefense, integrated air and missile defenses, and efforts to remove impediments to military mobility. NATO’s nuclear deterrence also needs to be strengthened, including broader nuclear-sharing arrangements and greater nuclear cooperation between Britain and France. ’The NATO-Russia Founding Act should be set aside for now’. The charter endorses creating a defense, security, and resilience bank, which has been under study by the NATO International Staff since 2019. Loans and loan guarantees would be made to NATO members and their defense industries. The charter proposes ways to significantly accelerate Europe’s ability to execute defense plans already developed for the alliance recently by the supreme allied commander Europe. It is now being circulated informally to European governments and the incoming Trump team. The charter was formally presented to senior NATO officials in Brussels last week. The upcoming June NATO Summit in The Hague would be the right place for alliance leaders ’to implement’ the ideas contained in Atlantic Charter 2025. European GDP growth averaging less than 1 percent in 2024 will make it difficult for many countries to increase defense spending without deep cuts elsewhere. (Source: Foreign Policy)
by Binnendijk, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, former senior director for defense policy at the U.S. National Security Council, vice president of the National Defense University, legislative director for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee;
Vershbow, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, senior advisor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House, former U.S. ambassador to NATO and Russia, assistant defense secretary, and NATO deputy secretary-general.

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Zelenskyy playing piano

(Source: YouTube):

https://tinyurl.com/ywyj4pfk

You were able to shake hands with him, with mutual respect, ladies and gentlemen - with the future president of Ukraine

Kölcsönös tisztelettel kezet foghattak vele hölgyek és urak - Ukrajna leendő elnöke

A zongoránál Zelenszkij

Since March 2, 2022: 2 130 460 views

2022. március 2.-a óta: 2 138 460 megtekintés

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Európa

Németország
Péntek, 2025 I. 10.  Olaf Scholz német kancellár leállítja az Ukrajnának szánt több milliárd euro-s pénzügyi segélycsomagot Baerbock külügyminiszterrel és Pistorius védelmi miniszterrel fennálló nézeteltérései közepette. Az orosz-ukrán háború kezdete óta Németország 28 milliárd euro értékű fegyvert szállított, illetve irányzott elő Kijevnek. (Forrás: Yeni Safak / Anadolu Agency = Törökország)

(Péntek), 2025 I. 10.  Tegnap Musk az X-en élő közvetítésben beszélgetett az Alternatíva Németországért (AfD) társvezetőjével, Weidel kancellárjelölttel, támogatva ismét a 2013-ban megalakult német pártot. Németországban február 23-án országos választást tartanak. Jelentős politikai erővé az AfD-t heves ellenállása tette a korabeli kancellár, Angela Merkel 2015. évi döntésével szemben, a nagyszámú menekült és vándorló befogadással kapcsolatban. És sokan vélik úgy, hogy Németország szerepvállalásai az Európai Unióban, NATO-ban a nemzeti önállóság felmorzsolását eredményezik. A párt támogatottsága tovább nőtt a Scholz-féle, pártszövetkezéses kormányzattal szembeni elégedetlenség következtében. Közvélemény-kutatások szerint az AfD az ország második legnépszerűbb pártja lett. Beszélgetésük során Musk és Weidel egyetértett abban, hogy Németországban az adók túl magasak, túl sok a bevándorlás, és hiba volt az ország részéről az atomerőművek leállítása. Az élő közvetítést volt, hogy egyidejűleg több mint 200 000-en is nézték. A ’szélsőjobboldali’ nézőpontok pedig, mint tabuk, Európa-szerte eltűnőben vannak.  „Mi megbotránkoztatót sem javasolnak, a józan észre hatnak” – mondta Musk. "Az embereknek az AfD mögé kell felsorakozniuk, mert ha nem, a dolgok sokkal rosszabbra fordulnak Németországban.' A beszélgetést az Európai Bizottság (EB) részéről felügyelő szervezet figyelte. Az EB tisztviselők szerint Musk-nak joga van kifejteni véleményét, de államhatalommal szembehelyezkedő tartalom felerősítése kockázatos, fékezendő, beleértve a választásokkal kapcsolatos 'félretájékoztatást' is. Musk és Weidel a szólásszabadság fontosságát hangsúlyozta. (Forrás: France 24 - Franciaország / AP - Egyesült Államok)

Oroszország
2025 I. 10.  Oroszország fokozza az új, száloptikás drónok gyártását, elősegítve csapatainak előretörését. (Forrás: Radio Free Europe  Radio Liberty - Egyesült Államok)

Ukrajna
2025 I. 10. Külvárosi anyukák drónlövésre edzenek. (Forrás: NPR - Egyesült Államok)

Ázsia

Gáza
2025 I. 10.  Egyesült Királyság-beli kutatócsoport vezette, Lancet-ben közölt tanulmány becslése szerint a halottak száma Gázában 40%-kal magasabb a megállapítottnál. (Forrás: Digital Journal - Kanada / AFP - Franciaország)

Észak-Amerika

Egyesült Államok
(Péntek), 2025 I. 10.  Trump, megválasztott amerikai elnök tegnap késői órán közölte, hogy találkozót szerveznek közte és Putyin, orosz elnök között. „Ezt mondta, még nyilvánosan is és ezzel a háborún túl kell lépnünk. Ami egy véres zűrzavar' – tette hozzá. Kedden azonban Trump kijelentette, hogy hat hónapos határidő a valószerűbb az összecsapások lezárására. „Remélem jóval hat hónap előtt" - mondta. (Forrás: Politico - Egyesült Államok)

2025 I. 10.  A dél-kaliforniai tüzek több mint 135 milliárd dolláros kárt okoztak. (Forrás: AccuWeather - Egyesült Államok)

(Péntek), 2025 I. 10.  A kaliforniai tüzek már 117 négyzetkilométer területen taroltak. Mintegy 130 000 ember kitelepítését rendelték el. Az anyagi kárt és gazdasági veszteséget 135-150 milliárd dollárra becsülik. 10.000 lakóház, épület és egyéb építmény pusztult el eddig a tűzvészben. Több mint 450 000 ember maradt áram nélkül szerda este. Május eleje óta Dél-Karolinában csak 2,5 mm eső esett. /Fénykép/ (Forrás: AP - Egyesült Államok)

2025 I. 10.  A Los Angeles egyes részeit pusztító tüzek keltette biztosítási bejelentések várhatóan meghaladják a 20 milliárd dollár kárösszeget. További hírek a kaliforniai tűzvészről /Fénykép, videó/ (Forrás: MSN - Egyesült Államok)

Sarkvidék

Sarkvidéki Tanács

2025 I. 10.   A Tanács elnökségét Norvégiától május 12-én a Dán Királyság veszi át. (Forrás: Arctic Council - Norvégia)

Magyarán szólva:

blokkol: leállít
drón
evakuálás: kitelepítés
konfliktus: összecsapás
reális: valószerű
regisztrál: megállapít
száloptika
tabu: amiről nem szabad nyilvánosan beszélni

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Európa

Írország
2025. I. 9.  'Az európai választásokba való beavatkozása' során Musk kiterjesztette az Európai Uniós országok elleni online támadásait Írországra is. Újra tweetelte „egy jól ismert ír szélsőjobboldali agitátor” bejegyzését, aki azt állította, hogy több mint 20 éve már, hogy nők megerőszakolásáért Írországban az államhatalommal szembehelyezkedő mohamedán vallású bevándorlókat enyhébb büntetésekre ítélték. Ez el van rontva, közölte. (Forrás: Irish Examiner - Írország

Németország
2025. I. 9. A Musk - Weidel beszélgetés. (Forrás: YouTube - Egyesült Államok / Times of India)

2025. I. 9.  "USA dollár esetleges hiányában az Európai Unió és az egyes európai nemzetek előrevetítettek egy határozott kiállást Ukrajna folyamatos támogatásáért'. 'Egy britek vezette nemzetközi szövetség a kívülálló hatalom ellen 30 000 drónt küld Ukrajnának'. A bejelentést Healey brit védelmi miniszter és kollégája, a lett Sprūds tette, a németországi Ramstein légitámaszponton, az Ukrajna Védelmi Kapcsolattartó Csoportja tanácskozáson. A drónok költségeit Nagy-Britanniával és Lettországgal együtt Dánia, Hollandia és Svédország is fedezi majd. (Forrás: UPI - Egyesült Államok)

2025. I. 9.  Az Ukrajnának nyújtott támogatásról szóló utolsó csúcstalálkozó megkezdésekor, a délnyugat-németországi Ramstein légibázison, ma Blinken amerikai külügyminiszter újabb 500 millió dolláros (484,8 millió euro-s) katonai segélyrészletet jelentett be, amely légvédelmi rakétákat, levegő-föld lőszert és F-16-os vadászrepülőgépek felszerelését tartalmazná. (Forrás: DW - Németország)

2025. I. 9.  'Németország légvédelmi rakétákat küld Ukrajnába', amelyeket eredetileg a német hadseregnek szántak. A következő hetekben Németország 2 Patriot légvédelmi rendszert és 200 katonát is szállít Lengyelországba. Ők közvetlenül a NATO-nak fognak jelenteni, várhatóan hat hónapon át – mondta Pistorius német védelmi miniszter. (Forrás: Anadolu Agency - Törökország)

Európai Bizottság
2025. I. 9.  Az Európai Bizottság 150 fős brüsszeli és sevillai tisztviselőjéből álló csapat vizsgálja, hogy Musk közösségi oldala megfelel-e az Európai Unió gyártási eljárási szabályainak. Nagy horderejű nyomozati jogkörrel rendelkeznek, amely lehetővé teszi számukra, hogy meglátogassák az X irodáit, és hozzáférést kérjenek  algoritmushoz, belső levelezéshez. A Bizottság DG CONNECT gyártási eljárási osztályán, a spanyolországi Európai Algoritmikus Átláthatósági Központ szakértői segítik a digitális szolgáltatásokról szóló törvény (DSA) brüsszeli végrehajtóit. Végső soron minden döntést a teendőkről politikai szinten, a Bizottság legfelső szintjén hozának meg. (Forrás: Politico - Egyesült Államok)

Grönland
2025. I. 9.  Grönland szabad társulása nem hozna geostratégiai előnyöket az Egyesült Államok számára, csak új költségekkel járna. Elidegenítené a társulást ellenző, NATO-szövetséges Dániát is. Röviden: a szabad egyesülésre való törekvés rossz üzlet. (Forrás: War on the Rocks - Egyesült Államok)
Írta Rahbek-Clemmensen, a Dán Királyi Védelmi Főiskola előadója, az Arctic Security Studies Központ kutatási vezetője.

Afrika

Csád
Csütörtök, 2025. I. 9.  Legalább 18 fegyveres meghalt és 9 megsebesült, amikor Csád fővárosában tegnap megpróbálták megrohamozni az elnöki palotát. A csádi kormány a támadást 'puccskísérletnek' minősítette. Közösségi oldalakon keringő videókon a támadók civil ruhába öltözve láthatók. A csádi kormány november 28-án bejelentette, hogy felmondja a Franciaországgal kötött biztonsági és védelmi együttműködési megállapodást. Egyes francia csapatok december 10-én megkezdték a kivonulást Csádból, és Deby elnök megerősítette, hogy 2025. január 31-ig teljesen kivonják az összes francia erőt. (Forrás: Yeni Safak / AA = Törökország)

Ázsia

Yemen
2025. I. 9.  A jemeni hútik ma további hat amerikai-brit rajtaütésről számoltak be három tartományból, az ország északi és nyugati részéről. Tegnap a hútik hét amerikai-brit rajtaütésről is beszámoltak Szanaában és Amránban. (Forrás: Anadolu Agency - Törökország)

Észak-Amerika

Egyesült Államok
2025. I. 9.  Ebisawa, a japán jakuza bűnszövetkezet vezetője, akit amerikai tisztviselők hasadóanyagok Mianmarból történő kereskedésével vádoltak, elismerte bűnösségét. Bűnösnek vallotta magát, 'amennyiben összeesküvést szőtt egy olyan társult hálózattal, amely hasadóanyagokat, köztük uránt és fegyver minőségű plutóniumot szállított Mianmarból más országokba'. Ebisawa elismerte bűnösségét nemzetközi kábítószer-kereskedelemmel és fegyverekkel kapcsolatos bűncselekményekben is. (Forrás: Anadolu Agency - Törökország)

2025. I. 9.  2024 utolsó két hetében az európai földgázárak a februárinak nagyjából kétszeresére emelkedtek. Néhány nappal azután, hogy Ukrajna megkapta első cseppfolyósított földgáz (LNG) szállítmányát az Egyesült Államokból, 'leállt az orosz földgáz Európába áramlása' egy Ukrajnán áthaladó, fél évszázada üzemelő vezetéken Újév napján. Európa energiabiztonságában jelenleg az amerikai földgázexport játszik döntő szerepet, amely csúcsszintre emelkedett tavaly decemberben. Európában a földgáz ára ma több mint 15 dollár MMBTU-nként. Az Egyesült Államok LNG-kivitele nagyjából megkétszereződik a következő néhány évben, míg a belföldi földgáz előrejelzett ára a mai 3,50 USD/MMBTU-ról pénzhígulással helyesbített 4,60 USD/MMBTU körülire emelkedik. Annak ellenére, hogy a decemberi LNG-kivitel nagyjából kétharmada Európába irányult, Trump megválasztott amerikai elnök vámokkal fenyegeti Európa kivitelét, ha nem vásárol még több amerikai földgázt. 'Trump kivitelpárti ékesszólása ellenére valószínűleg döntenie kell arról, hogy csökkenti-e a hazai erőforrás árakat annak érdekében, hogy „Amerika legyen az első”, ahelyett, hogy az Egyesült Államok erőforrását a világ többi részébe küldené". A jelenlegi helyzet az az új valóság, amelyet az Európai Unió vezetői magukévá tettek, amikor elkötelezték magukat amellett, hogy '2027-ig fokozatosan megszüntetik az Oroszországból származó fosszilis tüzelőanyagok behozatalát'. Európa az orosz földgázfüggőségnek természetföldrajzi adottságkénti figyelembevételét a külpolitikában, annak korlátait különösen terjeszkedési ténykedésében a világméretű LNG-piac viszontagságaira cserélte. (Forrás: Foreign Policy - Egyesült Államok)
Bordoff-tól, aki a Columbia Egyetem Nemzetközi és Közügyi Iskolája Globális Energiapolitikai Központjának alapító igazgatója, professzor, a Columbia Climate School társalapítója, az Egyesült Államok Nemzetbiztonsági Tanácsának korábbi vezető igazgatója. Obama volt amerikai elnök különleges asszisztense

Közép-Amerika

Panama
2025. I. 9.  Carter beleegyezett abba, hogy a Panama-csatornát 1999. december 31-én adják át Panamának. Két tengeri kikötőt a Panama-csatorna végein a hongkongi székhelyű Hutchison Ports PPC cég üzemeltet évtizedek óta. Az Egyesült Államok szállítótartály-forgalmának nagyjából 40%-a a Panama-csatornán halad keresztül. (Forrás: Fox News - Egyesült Államok)

Magyarán szólva:

algoritmus
digitális
drón
dupláz: megkétszerez
energia: erőforrás
export: kivitel
finanszírozza: költségeit fedezi
fosszilis
geopolitika: természetföldrajzi adottságok figyelembevétele a külpolitikában, különösen a terjeszkedés politikájában
globális: világméretű
illegális: államhatalommal szembehelyezkedő
import: behozatal
infláció: pénzhígulás
interjú: beszélgetés
koalíció: több állam szövetsége egy kívülálló hatalom ellen
konténer: szállítótartály
korrigált: helyesbített
kritikus: döntő
muzulmán: mohamedán vallású személy
nukleáris anyag: hasadóanyag
online
politika: ténykedés
rekord: csúcs
retorika: ékesszólás
technológiai: gyártási eljárási
tweetel
videó

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January 09, 2025  The unstoppable rise of energy realism. 'For the last decade, Democrats and the left have ever more eagerly embraced a climate catastrophist narrative on energy policy. That narrative may be summarized as follows: Climate change is not a danger that is gradually occurring, but an imminent crisis that is already upon us in extreme weather events. It threatens the existence of the planet if immediate, drastic action is not taken. That action must include the immediate replacement of fossil fuels, including natural gas, by renewables, wind and solar, which are cheap and can be introduced right now if sufficient resources are devoted to doing so, and which, unlike nuclear power, are safe. Not only that, the immediate replacement of fossil fuels by renewables will make energy cheaper and provide high wage jobs. People resist rapidly eliminating fossil fuels only because of propaganda from the fossil fuel industry. Any of the problems with renewables that are being cited, such as their intermittency and reliability, are being solved. This means that as we use more renewables and cut out fossil fuels, political support for the transition to clean energy should go up because of the benefits to consumers and workers'.    'It is not uncommon for Democrats to apply the term "climate denialist' to those who, while they accept the reality of global warming, refuse to endorse the climate catastrophist mantra and its maximalist policy agenda.    They did manage to pass the misleadingly named Inflation Reduction Act which pumped hundreds of billions of dollars - if not over a trillion - into the renewable energy and electric vehicle industries.    'During the Biden administration, the share of renewables in the country’s primary energy consumption has increased only very modestly from 10.5 percent to 11.7 percent’. And the share of energy consumption from fossil fuels remains over 80 percent just as it does in the world as a whole. Energy realities have forced them to preside over record levels of oil production (both on federal lands and overall), record natural gas production, and record LNG exports. They just lost the presidential election to an opponent who says “drill, baby, drill” and whose priority is cheap, abundant energy - not clean energy. And Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Energy is Wright, CEO of a fracking company, who has been forthright in his advocacy of energy realism, or as he puts it, “energy sobriety.” "Here’s his own 10 point summary of his perspective:    Energy is essential to life and the world needs more of it!;    The modern world today is powered by and made of hydrocarbons;    Hydrocarbons are essential to improving the wealth, health, and life opportunities for the less energized seven billion people who aspire to be among the world’s lucky one billion;    Hydrocarbons supply more than 80 percent of global energy and thousands of critical materials and products;     The American Shale Revolution transformed energy markets, energy security, and geopolitics;     Global demand for oil, natural gas, and coal are all at record levels and rising – no energy transition has begun;     Modern alternatives, like solar and wind, provide only a part of electricity demand and do not replace the most critical uses of hydrocarbons. Energy-dense, reliable nuclear could be more impactful;    Making energy more expensive or unreliable compromises people, national security, and the environment;    Climate change is a global challenge but is far from the world’s greatest threat to human life;    Zero Energy Poverty by 2050 is a superior goal compared to Net Zero 2050."     It underscores the moral problems with the standard climate catastrophist/net zero approach. Lifting up the billions in the world who suffer from energy poverty and the stunted lives and living standards such poverty produces is or should be a moral imperative - a moral imperative about which net zero definitionally has nothing to say.    74 percent to 26 percent, working-class voters prefer an energy approach that uses a mix of energy sources including oil, coal, and natural gas along with renewables to an approach that seeks to phase out the use of oil, coal, and natural gas completely…   41 percent of these voters said the cost of the energy they use was most important to them and 35 percent said the availability of power when they need it was most important. Just 17 percent thought the effect on climate of their energy consumption was most important and 6 percent selected the effect on U.S. energy security.    Asked to consider proposals to reduce the effects of global climate change, these voters were least likely to say ’getting the U.S. to net zero carbon emissions as quickly as possible’ was very important to them personally (26 percent), fewer than said “limiting the burden of regulations on business” was very important (33 percent). Working-class voters were most likely by far to say keeping consumer costs low (66 percent) and increasing jobs and economic growth (60 percent) were very important aspects of climate mitigation proposals.    Finally, by 30 points (59 to 29 percent) working-class voters flat-out favor more domestic production of fossil fuels like oil and gas. But only 15 percent of these voters are aware that the Biden administration increased oil production on federal lands. However, when informed that the U.S. has, in fact, increased domestic production of oil and gas in the last several years, they are delighted. Almost three-quarters (73 percent) of working-class voters said “this is a positive development, which brings good jobs for U.S. workers, ensures our energy supply and helps the U.S. support our allies who need similar resources” compared to 27 percent who thought ’this is a negative development, which brings more pollution, climate change, and continued reliance on fossil fuels.’    Can Democrats wean themselves away from climate catastrophism and their obsession with net zero? It could be difficult. Their net zero commitment stems from the extremely high priority placed on this goal by the educated elites and activists who now dominate the party. These elites and activists - unlike working-class voters - believe that nothing is more important than stopping global warming since it is not just a problem, but an ’existential crisis’ that must be confronted as rapidly as possible to prevent a global apocalypse. President Biden said in September, 2023: 'The only existential threat humanity faces even more frightening than a nuclear war is global warming going above 1.5 degrees in the next 20—10 years. That’d be real trouble. There’s no way back from that’.     More frightening than nuclear war, eh, from which there is presumably a way back? Up and down the Democratic Party, rhetoric has been more similar than not to Biden’s absurdly histrionic take. That’s an awful lot of rhetoric to walk back. The reality is that climate change policy, to be politically successful, must be embedded in and subordinate to, the goal of energy abundance and prosperity. There is no point in setting goals and timelines that cannot be met. Discarding these will make it much easier to pursue an energy abundance path that also includes reasonable progress on reducing emissions over what will undoubtedly be a very lengthy time period. Democrats would be well-advised to develop this path - their own version of energy realism - rather than pursuing the dead-end of climate catastrophism. The latter is and has been a loser. Energy realism will beat it every time. (Source: American Enterprise Institute - United States)
by Teixeira, a Nonresident Senior Fellow

(January 8, 2025) / December 2024  The China-Russia relationship and U.S. foreign policy. Initiative focused on U.S. strategy toward the People’s Republic of China (Detail).         Brics. China and Russia have also expanded their diplomatic arsenal to include non-Western multilateral institutions, where they exert even greater influence. In this spirit, Beijing and Moscow founded the BRICS - a group established in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, and joined the next year by South Africa. As of this writing, BRICS has hosted fifteen summits. In 2014, after Russia annexed Crimea and deployed forces in eastern Ukraine, for instance, the BRICS leaders called only for “a comprehensive dialogue” and “the de-escalation of the conflict,” without acknowledging Russian aggression. The group was similarly quiet after Putin’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and only expressed support for “talks between Russia and Ukraine,” consistent with China’s position that would cede to Russia all Ukrainian territory it occupied. At a June 2024 meeting of BRICS foreign ministers, the organization was also highly critical of Israel’s military action in Gaza and voiced its “serious concern at Israel’s continued blatant disregard of international law,” with no mention or condemnation of Hamas, mimicking the position of the Chinese and Russian governments. BRICS communiqués have also stressed the need to develop a new group reserve currency to reduce their reliance on the dollar and shield against U.S.-led economic sanctions - a process spearheaded by China and Russia as they increasingly trade in their own currencies. In July 2015, BRICS established the New Development Bank to provide financial assistance to developing states, absent the human rights requirements imposed by the World Bank. The organization further championed a global economic pivot away from the West in August 2023, when the bloc advocated “reform of the Bretton Woods institutions . . . including in leadership positions,” proclaimed “the importance of encouraging the use of local currencies in international trade,” and announced their opposition to “unilateral illegal measures such as sanctions” as used by the United States. To undermine the influence of Western financial institutions such as the banking messenger SWIFT, the BRICS launched a payment task force and a rival payment mechanism - BRICS Pay - and, in the weeks before the October 2024 summit in Kazan, BRICS finance and central bank officials met in Moscow. There, Russian Finance Minister Siluanov continued to push for an alternative international financial system, arguing, “It is necessary to form new conditions or even new institutions . . . within the framework of our community, within the framework of BRICS.” During his remarks at the Kazan summit, Xi made a similar argument, as he insisted that “the urgency of reforming the international financial architecture is prominent.” The group also challenged attempts by Western states to curtail Chinese electric vehicles and climate technology flooding their markets, as in June 2024 when BRICS condemned “unilateral, punitive and discriminatory protectionist measures,” with no mention of China’s own unfair trade practices. Consistent with their efforts to organize nations against Western policies and standards, Beijing and Moscow have expanded BRICS membership. In August 2023, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates were invited to become BRICS members. Apart from Argentina, which declined, and Saudi Arabia, which remains undecided at this writing, all invitees subsequently joined. Ahead of visits by Putin and Chinese Premier Li to Southeast Asia in June 2024, Thailand and Malaysia announced their intention to join the bloc as well; in August 2024, Azerbaijan asked to join the group, followed by a formal request from Turkey a month later, and then by Cuba in early October 2024. Thirty-six delegations participated in the October 2024 BRICS summit, including over twenty heads of state. In Kazan, Xi announced four new initiatives - the BRICS Deep-Sea Resources International Research Center, China Center for Cooperation on Development of Special Economic Zones, China Center for BRICS Industrial Competencies, and BRICS Digital Ecosystem Cooperation Network - aimed to bolster Beijing’s own interests and investment opportunities while promoting China-dependent industrial development in BRICS countries. The group also established a BRICS Grain Exchange, a Russian initiative designed to dilute the dollar’s dominance in food exports. Thus, an ever larger and more influential BRICS grouping seeks to reduce the impact of Western-led institutions around the world, and to diminish U.S. influence, especially in the Global South.        SCO. With the same intent, Beijing and Moscow formed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in June 2001. The SCO includes China, Russia, Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, and covers 80 percent of the Eurasian landmass, 40 percent of global population, and almost 30 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP). The organization advocates a “multipolar international order,” in contrast to what Beijing and Moscow assert is a U.S.-dominated, hegemonic international system. In November 2022, the SCO outlined its aim to create a “Greater Eurasian Partnership” comprised of SCO countries, the Eurasian Economic Union, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The organization consistently affirms support for China’s BRI and provides diplomatic backup for the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, including via communiqués that condemn the West’s “unilateral economic sanctions.” A July 2023 declaration by SCO leaders lamented the “unilateral and unlimited expansion of global missile defense systems by certain countries or groups of countries,” a clear reference to U.S. policy. With Xi at his side in July 2024, Putin explicitly labeled the SCO as a “new framework” to replace “the obsolete Europe-centric and Euro-Atlantic models that granted unilateral advantages to certain states” and warned that “[t]he use of force is increasing, the norms of international law are systemically being violated, geopolitical confrontation and conflicts are growing, and risks to stability in the world and the SCO region are multiplying.” Putin decried “unilateral attempts to resolve this Palestinian deadlock, most notably by the United States” and repeated his claim that the conflict in Ukraine is “a result of the reckless and intrusive policies of the United States and its satellites.” Beijing also used the July 2024 SCO Summit to condemn the United States, as Xi cautioned his audience about the “real risks of small yards with high fences,” a reference to U.S. policy on export of key technologies to China, and called on the members to “resist external interference.” More important, China continually reinforces Russia’s war aims in Ukraine and conducts disinformation campaigns that adopt Russia’s formulation that the invasion is a “special military operation,” provoked by the United States and NATO expansion. China’s barrage of misleading information includes fabricated stories about U.S. bioweapon laboratories in Ukraine, claims that the United States and Ukraine falsified footage of the atrocities in Bucha, and assertions that Ukraine’s military - rather than Russian forces - was responsible for the civilian deaths in the Kramatorsk bombing. In February 2023, Beijing issued a twelve-point proposal for negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, a plan that failed to condemn the invasion and opposed Western sanctions against Russia. In April 2024, Lavrov unsurprisingly endorsed China’s proposal as “a reasonable plan that the great Chinese civilization proposed for discussion.” The Kremlin agreed to enter such negotiations on the condition that they reflect “new realities” on the battlefield - a signal that Russia will demand control of its occupied territories in Ukraine under the Chinese settlement framework.On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2024, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang partnered with Brazilian foreign policy advisor Amorim to rally developing countries behind Beijing’s peace proposal. Ukrainian officials have openly condemned China’s support of the Russian position on Ukraine. Beijing and Moscow also work to take advantage of fractures in the NATO alliance, including by seeking closer ties to Budapest. Hungary and China promoted their bilateral relationship to an “all-weather, comprehensive strategic partnership” in May 2024, and Hungary has been one of the largest beneficiaries of China’s BRI in Europe (alongside Serbia). Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited Moscow in April 2022 and again in July 2024, in defiance of the EU and U.S. attempt to diplomatically isolate Russia. During his July 2024 talks with Putin, Orbán advocated “the shortest road to end the [Ukraine] war,” and in Orbán’s conversation with Xi the same month in Beijing, they declared, “China and Hungary share the same basic propositions and directions of efforts” on Ukraine - a perspective that includes China’s insistence on a permanent cease-fire that legitimizes Russian annexation of occupied Ukrainian territory.  In parallel, the Kremlin has supported China’s policies in the Indo-Pacific. Amid growing tensions in the South China Sea in October 2021, Putin stood at Xi’s side and opposed “interference from non-regional powers,” an allusion to U.S. policy in the region. In March 2023, Lavrov criticized Western-led partnerships such as the Quad -a grouping that includes the United States, Australia, India, and Japan and the defense technology–sharing arrangement known as AUKUS - comprising Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States as instances of external interference in the Indo-Pacific, employed “not for economic purposes but trying to militarize.” Not long after, Russia again endorsed Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan and said it “firmly support[s] actions of the Chinese side for the defense of its state sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Putin doubled down in a speech following the March 2024 Russian presidential elections. He alleged that “unfriendly countries” were attempting “to make all kinds of provocations around Taiwan which is an inherent part of the People’s Republic of China.” When Lavrov and Wang met in April 2024, the pair claimed that NATO wished to expand into Asia and warned against the bloc “stretching its hands to our common home.” In October 2024, marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic relations, Lavrov condemned the United States directly, saying, “the United States and its satellites deliberately stir up the situation in the Strait of Taiwan” and reiterating that “Russia’s position on the Taiwan issue has been unchanged support for China’s territorial integrity.” At the East Asian Summit in Laos later that month, Beijing and Moscow blocked a proposed consensus statement drafted by Southeast Asian countries over language on the contested South China Sea, which Lavrov condemned as an effort by the United States to make a “purely political statement.” All told, China and Russia have made substantial progress in the past decade and more, in a joint global diplomatic offensive to undermine U.S.-led world order and Western values and to end American leadership in the international system. As Lavrov explained in October 2024, the China-Russia entente desires a “world order . . . adjusted to current realities,” achieved through the irreversible process of “power rebalancing.” (Source: Council on Foreign Relations - U.S.)
by Blackwill, Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy; Fontaine, CEO, Center for a New American Security

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Európa

Ausztria
2025. I. 8.   2024 szeptemberében a szavazatok 28,8 százalékát szerezve meg, a Szabadságpárt (FPÖ) jelenleg 35 százalék körüli szavazatszámmal számol. (Forrás: DW - Németország)

Franciaország
2025. I. 8.  Az Európai Unió nem fogja eltűrni a határait érő fenyegetést – mondta a francia külügyminiszter, amikor felerősödtek a feszültségek Trumpn-ak az EU-tag Dánia részét képező, önrendelkezéssel bíró sarkvidéki Grönland-dal kapcsolatos megjegyzései miatt. (Forrás: RFI - Franciaország)

Grönland
2025. I. 8.  Az olvadó Sarkvidék geopolitikai átértékelése Grönland kezére játszik. Egy 2023-as felmérés kimutatta, hogy az Európai Bizottság által „kritikus nyersanyagnak” minősített 34 ásványból 25 Grönland-on található. (Forrás: DW - Németország)

Spanyolország
2025. I. 8.  Tavaly összesen 63 970 vándorló érkezett szabálytalanul a spanyol partokra, ami 12,5%-os növekedést jelent 2023-hoz képest. Közülük több mint 43 ezren a Kanári-szigeteken szálltak partra. (Forrás: Euronews - Lyon-i /Franciaország/ székhelyű, az Európai Bizottság megbízásával működő hírcsatorna)

Európai Unió
2025. I. 8.  Az Európai Unió ma 'vad feltételezésen alapuló dolognak" minősítette azt, hogy Trump megválasztott amerikai elnök elutasította katonai támadás kizárásának lehetőségét Dánia  önrendelkezéssel bíró területe, Grönland tárgyában, egyúttal megerősítette, hogy az EU-államok kénytelenek lennének megvédeni a szigetet, ha Trump megtámadná azt. (Forrás: VoA News - Egyesült Államok)

Egyesült Királyság
2025. I. 8.  Ha maradéktalanul végrehajtja Jay professzor 2022-es felülvizsgálatának ajánlásait, az Egyesült Királyság kormányának 5–10 milliárd fontot kellene fizetnie a nemi zaklatás áldozatául esett több ezer gyermek kártalanításáért, a Whitehall becslései szerint. (Forrás: Financial Times - Egyesült Királyság)

Oroszország
2025. I. 8.  Dróntámadások és szankciók alapjáratra állították Oroszország teljes kőolajipari termelési teljesítőképességének több mint 12%-át, ami 41,1 millió tonna. Emiatt a finomított kőolaj-mennyiség 2024-ben az elmúlt 12 év legalacsonyabb szintjére esett vissza. Nem világos, hogy az orosz kormány mit tesz annak érdekében, hogy segítse a cégeket a dróntámadások s azok következményei kezelésében. 2024 márciusában az Energiaügyi Minisztérium arról számolt be, hogy Oroszországban 38 finomító működik, 7 épül, 42 tervezési szakaszban van, egy pedig felújítás alatt áll. A 2024. év végére az üzemanyagárak megszilárdultak; múlt év december 23-án a benzin átlagára Oroszországban 60,6 rubel (0,58 USD) volt literenként, míg a gázolajé 69,9 rubel (0,66 USD). A kormány 2025. január 31-ig meghosszabbította az üzemanyag-kiviteli tilalmat. (Forrás: Meduza - Riga-i /Lettország/ székhelyű híroldal / BBC - Egyesült Királyság)

Ukrajna
2025. I. 8.  Ipari háttérágazatot ért orosz légicsapás ma Zaporizzsja városában - 13 embert ölt meg, további 29 ember pedig megsebesült. A helyszínről készült fényképek és videók arra utalnak, hogy a támadás a Motor Sich vállalat fő hivatali épületét sújthatta. (Forrás: Meduza - Riga-i /Lettország/ székhelyű híroldal / BBC - Egyesült Királyság)

Ázsia

Tibet
2025. I. 8.  Kínában épült meg a világ vízerőműveinek 40%-a. A tibeti fennsík, amelyet a múlt század közepén szállt meg és kebelezett be Kína, mindeddig kivételt képezett. Decemberben a Xinhua kínai állami hírügynökség arról számolt be, hogy a kormány jóváhagyta a Tibetben, az Indián és Banglades-en is átvágó Jarlung Tsangpo folyón, a világ legnagyobb vízerőmű-gátjának megépítését. Ennek teljesítőképessége körülbelül 110 gigawatt kiaknázatlan vízi erőtartalék, amely táplálhatja Kelet-Kína gazdaságát. 750 000 - 1 500 000 ember kényszerülhet költözésre, ha az összes gátat megépítik. (Forrás: Benar News - Egyesült Államok)

Észak-Amerika

Egyesült Államok
2025. I. 8.  Szárazság és erős szél együttes hatására gyorsan terjedő tüzek vannak Los Angeles környékén, ami miatt több mint 80 000 embert kell kitelepíteni. Előrejelzés szerint a pusztító szél elérheti akár a 161 km/órás sebességet. /Fényképpel/ (Forrás: NBC News - Egyesült Államok)

2025. I. 8.  Itt az ideje, hogy a Külügyminisztérium - kiépítve konzuli diplomáciai hálózatát - előre tekintsen; Indiára és a 21. századra, és ne visszafelé, Kanadára. (Forrás: American Enterprise Institute - Egyesült Államok)
Írta Rubin

Szerda, 2025. I. 8.  'Az Egyesült Államok további 500 millió dollár értékű fegyvert biztosít Ukrajnának', kivonva gyorsan mindezt meglévő készleteiből. (Forrás: The Independent – Egyesült Királyság)

Mexikó
2025. I. 8.  Sheinbaum, Mexikó elnöke trollkodja Trump megválasztott elnököt egy 1607-ből származó világtérképpel, amelyen az látható, hogy a mai Amerikai Egyesült Államok területének nagy részét az időben Mexikói Amerikának hívták. Sheinbaum elnök válasza ez, Trump azon kijelentésére, hogy a Mexikói-öblöt Amerikai-öbölnek fogja átnevezni. /Térkép/ (Forrás: Raw Story - Egyesült Államok)
Video (Forrás: X)
2025. I. 8.-án 15:08-kor: 880 800 megtekintés

NATO

2025. I. 8.  A 32 NATO-tagállam közül 23 szövetséges teljesíti azt a 'legkisebb mértékű célt', hogy a GDP legalább 2%-át fordítsák védelemre idén. 'Rutte, a NATO főtitkára arra kérte az európaiakat, hogy értsék meg a védelmi kiadások növelésének szükségességét'. 'Ha Trump az európai szövetségesekből 5%-ot préselne ki, ők esetleg úgy döntenek, hogy a készpénz nagy részét az európai védelmi ipar építésére költik, nem pedig amerikai beszerzésére.' (Forrás: DW - Németország)

Magyarán szólva

adminisztratív: hivatali
annektál
autonóm: önrendelkezéssel bíró
drón
energia: erőtartalék
export: kivitel
evakuál: kitelepít
fotó: fénykép
hipotetikus: feltételezésen alapuló
infrastruktúra: háttérágazat
kapacitás: teljesítőképesség
konzul
migráns: vándorló
minimális: legkisebb mértékű
potenciál: teljesítőképesség
stabilizálódik: megszilárdul
szexuális: nemi
trollkodik
volumen: mennyiség

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Európa

Magyarország
2025. I. 7.  Az Egyesült Államok Pénzügyminisztériuma büntető rendelkezéssel sújtotta Orbán Viktor magyar miniszterelnök kormányzati irodájának vezetőjét, Rogánt, megvesztegethetőségben való állítólagos érintettsége miatt. Szijjártó magyar külügyminiszter a büntető rendelkezéseket időközben a távozó amerikai nagykövet személyes bosszújának nevezte. Az Orbán-kormány ellenségnek tekinti a leköszönő Biden kormányt és különösen annak budapesti küldöttét. Trump szemlátomást szoros kapcsolatban áll a magyar vezetővel. (Forrás: Politico - Egyesült Államok)
Közli: Körömi

Balti tenger

2025. I. 7.  A NATO további 10 hajót telepít a Balti-tenger létfontosságú tenger alatti kiépítettségének védelmére egy sor közbejött lehetséges szabotázs esetet követően. (Forrás: Miami Herald / Newsweek - Egyesült Államok)

Lengyelország
2025. I. 7.  A lengyel kormány fenyegetése, hogy letartóztatja Benjamin Netanjahu izraeli miniszterelnököt, továbbá az ellenzék megsemmisítésére tett erőfeszítései azt jelzik, hogy ennek az európai nemzetnek a vezetése gondot jelent majd a megválasztott elnök számára. De van egy rossz hír Tusk részére, akinek Trump iránti nyilvános ellenségeskedése mélyen gyökeredzik, de akinek számára mégiscsak döntő az Egyesült Államokkal való kapcsolat. (Forrás: Defense of Democracies - Egyesült Államok)
Közli: Doran, a Demokráciák Védelméért Alapítvány vezető munkatársa; Boyse, egykori helyettes államtitkár, a Hudson Institute vezető munkatársa.

Ázsia

Irán
2025. I. 7.  Egekbe szökő a Starlink használata Iránban. A műholdas internetszolgáltatás az országban tiltva van, akik hozzáfértek, azokét az iszlám kormányzati rendszernek lehetetlen előzetesen elbírálnia. (Forrás: Miami Herald / Newsweek = Egyesült Államok)

Izrael
2025. I. 7.   "A szíriai fenyegetés még az iráni fenyegetésnél is veszélyesebbé válhat” – áll a Nagel-bizottság jelentésében, figyelmeztetve Törökország nyilvánvaló igyekezetére, hogy helyreállítsa az oszmán korszak befolyását. (Forrás: The New Arab - londoni, /Egyesült Királyság/ székhelyű, katari tulajdonú hírkapu)

Észak-Amerika

Egyesült Államok
(2025. I. 14.) / 2014. I. 7.   Smith különleges jogtanácsos jelentése I. kötet /174 p./.     Végkövetkeztetés Smith különleges jogtanácsos jelentéséből, Trump-nak 'a 2020-as választások megdöntésére tett kísérleteiről': „A minisztérium azon álláspontja, miszerint az alkotmány tiltja az elnökkel szembeni további vádemelést és büntetőeljárást, korlátlan érvényű, és nem függ a vád alá helyezett bűncselekmények súlyától, a kormány bizonyítékainak erősségétől vagy az ügyészség érdemeitől, amelyek mögött a Hivatal határozottan kiáll. Valóban, de Trump úr megválasztása és az elnöki tisztségbe való közelgő visszatérése miatt a Hivatal úgy értékelte, hogy az elfogadható bizonyíték elegendő volt megszerezni és fenntartani egy elmarasztaló ítéletet tárgyaláson.    (2025. I. 14.) / 2025. I. 6. A Védelem követelése levélben, Trump elnök nevében: Smith vessen véget minden erőfeszítésnek a jelentés (a 'Jelentéstervezet') elkészítése és közzététele érdekében: 'a bizalmas jelentés nyilvánosságra hozatala, amelyet ez az ellenőrzést nélkülöző, alkotmányellenesen ügyészként önmagát megjátszó magánszemély készített, nem lenne más, mint törvénytelen politikai mutatvány, amelynek célja, hogy politikailag ártson Trump elnöknek, és igazolja azt a hatalmas összeget, amit az adófizetők pénzéből Smith alaptörvény-ellenesen költött, kudarcot vallott és elutasított ügyeire. Ilyen körülmények között Smith jelentésének nyilvánosságra hozatala nyilvánvalóan nem szolgálja a közérdeket – különös tekintettel Trump elnök választási győzelmére, valamint a folyamatban lévő átmeneti folyamat érzékeny természetére”. (Forrás: DocumentCloud)

2025. I. 7.  Mai, Mar-a-Lago-i sajtótájékoztatón Trump azt mondta újságíróknak, hogy „Kanada nem bánik jól az Egyesült Államokkal”. "Támogatott Kanada, mintegy évi 200 milliárd dollár értékben, egyebek. Lényegében nincs katonaságuk. Nagyon kicsi a hadseregük. A hadseregünkre támaszkodnak. Mindez rendben van, de tudják, nekik fizetniük kell ezért. Ez nagyon igazságtalan – panaszkodott Trump. – Valamit tenni kell". Ismét megemlítette, hogy szerinte Gretzky-nek, a volt kanadai hivatásos jégkorongozónak indulnia kell a miniszterelnöki tisztségért. „És nagyon komoly vámokat fogunk kivetni Mexikóra és Kanadára – ismételte meg. Kanadán keresztül is érkeznek. Óriási mennyiségű kábítószer – magyarázta Trump. Tehát nekifogunk ezt pótolni díjszabások Mexikóra és Kanadára kivetésével. Komoly díjszabásokéval. Szeretnénk mindenkivel kijönni, de tudják … a tangóhoz ketten kellenek". Trump november végén jelentette be, hogy 25 százalékos vámot kíván kivetni Kanadára és Mexikóra, közvetlen válaszként a vándorlók és a fentanil okozta válság kiterjedésére. (Forrás: Daily Mail - Egyesült Királyság)

2025. I. 7.  Trump megválasztott elnök ma kijelentette: nem zárja ki, hogy katonai erőt alkalmazzanak a Panama-csatorna és Grönland irányításának átvételére, azt állítva, hogy mindkettő amerikai ellenőrzése elengedhetetlen a nemzetbiztonság szempontjából. (Forrás: Miami Herald / Newsweek = Egyesült Államok)

2025. I. 7.  Trump, megválasztott amerikai elnök bejelentette, hogy 20 milliárd dolláros emírségi befektetést hajtanak végre a DAMAC Properties vállalattal, amerikai adatközpontokba. (Forrás: The New Arab - londoni /Egyesült Királyság/ székhelyű, katari tulajdonú hírkapu)

Kanada
2025. I. 7.  Nemrégiben egy bejegyzésében az X-en, Trump fia, Eric, megosztott egy Photoshop-on szerkesztett fényképet arról, hogy apja az Amazon-on beszerzi Kanadát, Grönlandot és a Panama-csatornát.  – Mi lenne, ha megvennénk Alaszkát, ugyanakkor felvetnénk Minnesota és Minneapolis kérdését? - így Ford, Ontario miniszterelnöke, újságíróknak. (Forrás: Daily Mail - Egyesült Királyság)

Magyarán szólva:

cenzúra: előzetes elbírálás
hírportál: hírkapu
incidens: közbejött eset
infrastruktúra: kiépítettség
internet
kabinet: kormányzat
kategorikus: korlátlan érvényű
kritikus: döntő
korrupció: megvesztegethetőség
migráns: vándorló
poszt: tisztség
pózol: megjátssza magát
probléma: gond
profi: hivatásos
rekord
rezsim: kormányzati rendszer
szabotázs
szankcionál: büntető rendelkezéssel sújt
tarifa: díjtétel

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Európa

Ausztria
2025. I. 6.  Der Bellen elnök, a Zöld Párt korábbi vezetője, ma a 'szélsőjobboldali' Szabadságpárt vezetőjét, Kickl-t bízta meg kormányalakítással. A tárgyalások lefolytatására nincs időkeret megszabva, azok általában két-három hónapig tartanak. Ha a tárgyalások kudarcot vallanak, előrehozott választások várhatók. A közvélemény-kutatások szerint szeptember óta nőtt a Szabadságpárt támogatottsága. (Forrás: BBC - Egyesült Királyság)

Egyesült Királyság
2025. I. 6.  Starmer az angliai koronaügyészségi igazgató, gyermekek iránt rendellenes nemi vonzódást érző pakisztáni muszlim szervezett bandák, meg a polkorrekt - 2008 előtt s után. (Forrás: Brussels Signal)
Bogdanos-tól

2025. I. 6.  A munkáspárti kormány a közelmúltban nemzeti szintű vizsgálatot utasított el a gyakran dél-ázsiai férfiakból álló, gyerekekkel szembeni nemi visszaéléseket előkészítő bandákkal szemben, amelyek kiszolgáltatott fiatal lányokat vettek célba Észak-Angliában. A gyermekek nemi kizsákmányolására adott nagy-britanniai állami válasz kapcsán kibontakozott heves vitában Musk a balközép miniszterelnököt, Starmer-t támadta az elmúlt napokban, annak az ország legfőbb ügyészi tisztségben betöltött szerepe miatt. Hátrányos helyzetűeket gondozók vezetőjeként Jay, az állam megbízásából, 2014-ben jelentést készített, amely szerint 1997 és 2013 között 1400 gyermeket ért támadás és bántalmaztak nemileg az észak-angliai Rotherham városában. Jay szerint a helyi hatóságok kudarcot vallottak, nem szálltak szembe a visszaélések pakisztáni származású elkövetőivel, mert egyes alkalmazottak attól tartottak, hogy fajvédőknek bélyegezik őket. Musk keresztes hadjáratot indított az állam gyermekek nemi kizsákmányolására adott válaszával és az iszlamofóbiával kapcsolatosan képviselt álláspontjával szemben. "Börtön Starmer-nek" – tette közzé Musk ma, X színterén, megosztva egy bejegyzést, amely azt állította, hogy Starmer a gyermekgyilkosok elítélése helyett muszlimellenes visszaélések elleni küzdelmet helyez előtérbe. (Forrás: Politico - Egyesült Államok)

Oroszország
2025. I. 6.  Az orosz csapatok elfoglalták a kulcsfontosságú ipari várost, Kurakhove-t – állította az Orosz Védelmi Minisztérium. (Forrás: DW - Németország; "AP - Egyesült Államok; AFP - Franciaország; Reuters" - Egyesült Királyság)

Ukrajna
2025. I. 6.  Neizspapa, az ukrán haditengerészet parancsnoka azt állítja, hogy egy nap alatt két orosz Pantsir-S1 rakétaelhárító rendszert és egy OSZA légelhárítót találtak el Herszonban. (Forrás: The Independent - Egyesült Királyság)

Vatikán
2025. I. 6.  Nő felelős a világ 600 000 katolikus apácájáért és a vallási rendekhez tartozó 129 000 szerzetes papért. Ferenc pápa a mai napon egy olasz apácát, Brambilla nővért nevezte ki a Római Kúria valamennyi katolikus szerzetességért felelős hivatala - a Megszentelt Élet Intézményeinek és az Apostoli Élet Társaságainak Kongregációja - élére. Az 59 éves Brambilla, aki 2023 óta a hivatal helyettes vezetője volt, a Consolata Missionaries vallási rend tagja. Szentszéki kongregációt vezető főpapnak szentmisét, további oly szentségi feladatokat is el kell látnia, amelyeket jelenleg csak férfiak végezhetnek; a hivatal társvezetőjévé a pápa Artime, szalézi bíborost nevezte ki. (Forrás: Associated Press - Egyesült Államok)

2025. I. 6.  Ferenc pápa McElroy bíborost nevezte ki a katolikus egyház új washingtoni vezetőjévé. A bíboros a római Pápai Gergely Egyetemen hittudományból doktorált, a Stanford Egyetemen pedig az amerikai külpolitikára összpontosított doktori értekezésében. A 70 éves McElroy korábban bírálta Trump tömeges deportálást célzó politikai tervezetét, állást foglalt az LMBTQ katolikusokkal való szívélyesebb bánásmód kérdésében és a nők szerpapokká szentelését szorgalmazta. (Forrás: Reuters - Egyesült Királyság)

Ázsia

Ciszjordánia
2025. I. 6.  Fegyveresek tüzet nyitottak egy izraelieket szállító autóbuszra Ciszjordániában, ahol 3 millió palesztin él, valamint 500 000 zsidó telepes, több mint száz településen. (Forrás: The Washingtomn Times / The Associated Press = Egyesült Államok)

India
(2025. I. 6.)  Nyolc rendőr és egy gépkocsivezető vesztette életét maoista lázadók által elkövetett robbantásban, a közép-indiai Chhattisgarh állam Bijapur kerületében. (Forrás: Gulf Today - Egyesült Arab Emírségek / Reuters - Egyesült Királyság)

Japán
(Hétfő), 2025. I. 6.  A Nippon Steel japán acélgyártó és az US Steel pert indított Biden amerikai elnök ellen, mert 'jogellenes politikai befolyást' gyakorolt a japán cég által tervezett US Steel felvásárlás ügyében. Keresetében a Nippon Steel azt kérte a bíróságtól, hogy helyezze hatályon kívül Biden pénteki, a kivásárlást leállító végzését, egyúttal utasítson a 14,9 milliárd dolláros ügylet új felülvizsgálatára. Külön pert indítottak a vetélytárs Cleveland-Cliffs acélipari vállalat, annak vezérigazgatója és az Egyesült Acélmunkások (USW) szakszervezet elnöke ellen. A Cleveland-Cliffs az Egyesült Államok második legnagyobb acélipari vállalata; bejelentette szándékát a US Steel felvásárlására, de a Nippon Steel felülígért. A japán cég úgy véli, hogy bizonyítékok vannak arra, hogy a Cleveland-Cliffs és az USW, amely meg akarta akadályozni a felvásárlást, több rendbéli levelezést folytatott Biden-nel, ami arra utal, hogy az USW az elnökválasztás során Biden támogatását segítette elő, később pedig Harris alelnökét, amennyiben azok a Nippon Steel felvásárlását leállítják. Biden végzése a megállapodás megakadályozására a japán kormány rosszallását váltotta ki. (Forrás: Nikkei - Japán)

Észak-Amerika

Egyesült Államok
2025. I. 6.  Trump a mai hírekre válaszul azt sugallta, hogy Trudeau azért lép vissza, mert tudja, hogy az Egyesült Államok nem fog beletörődni Kanadával szembeni külkereskedelmi hiányba. Megismételte azt az álláspontját, hogy a kanadaiak szívesen lennének az 51. állam tagjai. "Ha Kanada egyesülne az Egyesült Államokkal - írta Truth Social című színterén - nem lennének vámok, az adók jelentősen csökkennének, és teljes biztonságban lennének orosz és kínai hajók fenyegetésével szemben. Micsoda nagyszerű nemzet lenne együtt!!!" (Forrás: CBC - Kanada)

Kanada
2025. I. 6.  Tervezi, hogy lemond, amint a Liberális Párt megválasztotta az utódját, mondja az 53 éves Trudeau, jelenlegi miniszterelnök. (Forrás: CBC - Kanada)

Magyarán szólva:

deficit: hiány
deportál: kitoloncol
diakónus: szerpap
disszertáció: értekezés
koalíció: párt-szövetkezés kormányalakításra
pedofil: gyermekek iránt rendellenes nemi vonzódást érző férfi
platform: színtér
polkorrekt
program: tervezet
reagálva: válaszul

5 1 10.00:18

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Európa

Austria
2025. I. 5.  Der Bellen osztrák elnök ma azt mondta, hogy holnap találkozik a 'szélsőjobboldali' Szabadságpárt (FPÖ) vezetőjével, Kickl-lel. A hagyományhű Osztrák Néppárt ideiglenes vezetője közölte, hogy hajlandó pártszövetkezési tárgyalásokat folytatni a Szabadságpárttal. "Csendesedtek azok a Néppárton belüli hangok, amelyek kizárják a Kickl vezette FPÖ-vel való együttműködést'. Egy új út nyílhat meg, amely korábban nem volt - mondta der Bellen. (Forrás: DW - Németország)

Oroszország
2025. I. 5.  Ukrajna ma reggel újabb 'általános támadást' indított Oroszország nyugati határvidékén, Kurszkban. Az Orosz Védelmi Minisztérium szerint a támadócsoport 'két harckocsiból, egy aknamentesítő járműből és tizenkét páncélozott harcjárműből állt, ejtőernyősökkel', havon át útban Bolsoe Soldatskoe falu felé. Oroszország ma a térségbe küldte Jevkurov tábornokot, védelmi miniszter helyettest, hogy rendkívüli megbeszélést tartson. (Forrás: France 24 / AFP = Franciaország)

2025. I. 5.  Egy orosz katonai blogger szerint Ukrajna „utolsó ellentámadásba' kezdett, miközben támadásokat indít orosz állások ellen Kurszk térségében. A Ryber Telegram nevű másik orosz katonai blogger csatorna szerint a kurszki ellentámadás egy szélesebb körű ellentámadást megelőző elterelő lépés lehet. (Forrás: The Independent - Egyesült Királyság)

Ázsia

Tajvan
2025. I. 5.  Megsérült egy tenger alatti távközlési vezeték az Új-Tajpej-i Yehliu közelében, pénteken, a hajnali órákban. A tajvani parti őrség a kameruni bejegyzésű Shunxin 39 teherhajót okolja a károkért. Tajvani tisztviselők szerint a hajó Kína tulajdona, a Hongkongban bejegyzett Jie Yang Trading Limited vásárolta meg. Az internet vezeték Tajvant az Egyesült Államok nyugati partjával köti össze és az AT&T, a japán NTT, a Korea Telecom, valamint a China Telecom és a China Unicom Nemzetközi befektetési társaság tulajdonában van. (Forrás: The U.S. Sun)

Israel
2025. I. 5.  A jemeni hútik ma bejelentették, hogy egy Palestine 2 ,röppályáján a hangsebesség ötszörösét meghaladó rakétával sikeres katonai műveletet hajtottak végre Haifa városától délre, az Orot Rabin erőmű ellen. Saree katonai szóvivő kijelentette, hogy a műveletben elérték a kitűzött célokat. A mai nap folyamán az izraeli hadsereg azt állította, hogy elfogott egy Jemenből indított rakétát, mielőtt az Izrael területét elérte volna. (Forrás: Shafaq News - Irak)

Észak-Amerika

Egyesült Államok
2025. I. 5. Az Egyesült Államok Külügyminisztériuma szerint hétfőig az Egyesült Államok 61,4 milliárd amerikai dollár katonai segítséget nyújtott Ukrajnának az összecsapás kezdete óta. Az Egyesült Államok ’csendben sok fegyvert küldött Ukrajnába’ öt hónappal a küzdelem kitörése előtt, ismerte el Blinken, amerikai külügyminiszter tegnap, a The New York Times-nak adott interjújában. A Kreml többször is bírálta az Ukrajnába irányuló nyugati fegyverszállítást, azt állítva, hogy azok kiterjesztik a küzdelmet, akadályozzák a béketörekvéseket, és közvetlen részvételbe vonják a NATO-tagállamokat. Oroszország hosszú évek óta beszél erről – mondta tegnap Zaharova, az Orosz Külügyminisztérium szóvivője. „Aggodalmunkat fejeztük ki amiatt, hogy az Egyesült Államok és Nagy-Britannia fegyvert ömleszt Ukrajnába, a végtelen NATO-gyakorlatok miatt a Fekete-tengeren, amelyek sértik az orosz határokat, és a nyugati katonai repülőgépeknek a légterünkben tartózkodó polgári repülőgépekhez mért veszélyes közelsége miatt” – tette hozzá. (Forrás: Forrás: Xinhua - Kína)

2025. I. 5.  Giorgia Meloni olasz miniszterelnök Trump megválasztott amerikai elnökkel találkozott Mar-a-Lago-ban, Floridában tegnap. Jelen volt Rubio, leendő külügyminiszter is, továbbá Waltz, leendő nemzetbiztonsági tanácsadó és pénzügyminiszter-jelölt. Az olasz kormányfő közel áll a milliárdos Musk-hoz is, aki kulcsszerepet fog játszani Trump második ciklusában. (Forrás: DW - Németország; Reuters - Egyesült Királyság;, AP - Egyesült Államok)

Magyarán szólva:

blogger
ciklus
eszkalál: kiterjeszt
hiperszonikus ballisztikus (rakéta): röppályáján a hangsebesség ötszörösét meghaladó
interjú
internet
kábel: vezeték
koalíciós: szövetkezési (párttal való; kormányalakításra)
konfliktus: összecsapás; küzdelem
konzervatív: hagyományhű
konzorcium: befektetési társaság
offenzíva: általános támadás

.5 1 8 14:20

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Európa

Ausztria
2025. I. 4.  Nehammer, osztrák kancellár azt mondta, hogy a következő napokban lemond tisztségéről, miután az új kormány alakításáról szóló megbeszélések kudarcot vallottak. A Néppárt a szociáldemokratákkal folytatott pártszövetkezési tárgyalásokat, miután a szabadelvű Neos párt tegnap meglepetésre kivonult a tárgyalásokról. A következő lépés egy új választás. Az előzőleg nyertes Szabadság Párt támogatottsága a legutóbbi választás óta 29,2%-ról 35%-ra nőtt. (Forrás: Euronews - Franciaország)

Németország
2025. I. 4. A  februári németországi választások előtt a bajor jobbközép Keresztény-szociális Unió (CSU) párt politikai tervezete nagyjából megegyezik a Kereszténydemokrata Unió (CDU) politikai tájékoztatójával. A két párt évtizedek óta szövetséges, együtt a német Bundestagban, az Unió törvényhozási csoportban. A Deutschlandtrend decemberi közvélemény-kutatása szerint az Unió 32%-os szavazói népszerűséggel bír. Merkel-t felelősnek tartják azért, hogy 2015-ben csaknem egymillió vándorló érkezett be, többségük Szíriából. A vándorlás a bajor hagyományhű CSU-párt legfontosabb választási hírverési kérdései közé tartozik. „Akik hosszú távon akarnak velünk élni, azoknak hosszú távon is kell dolgozniuk, nem pedig hosszú távú juttatásokat igényelniük” – áll a január 6-8-án tartandó CSU tanácskozásra készült, választás előtti állásfoglalásban. A CSU másik követelése szerint bárki, aki bűncselekményt, vagy többszörös szabálysértést követ el, hagyja el az országot. A párt azt szorgalmazza, hogy azokat a vándorlókat, akik nem távoznak, vagy nem kitoloncolhatók, helyezzék határozatlan időre kitoloncolás előtti őrizetbe. Ez a CSU igény túlmutat azon, amiről a párt korábban a CDU-val közös  választási kiáltványban megállapodott. A CDU szerint "összességében a nem pénzbeli juttatásoknak elsőbbséget kell élvezniük a pénzbeli juttatásokhoz képest, ahol csak lehetséges. Betéti kártyát kell általánosan és szigorúan bevezetni mindenik német államban." A CSU szakpolitikai javaslatai a februári szövetségi választások után is valószínűleg ugyanazok maradnak. A CDU-CSU tömörülés által vezetett bármely kormánynak szüksége lenne további pártszövetkezési társtagra; a szociáldemokrata SPD vagy a Zöldek a legesélyesebb. Szerintük azonban a CSU elképzelései túlzók, s ez jogi és emberbaráti szempontból gondot okoz. Olaf Scholz jelenlegi német kancellár, a balközép SPD részéről, 2023 októberében a vele készült interjúból kiemelt idézettel jelent meg a Der Spiegel képújság címlapján: "El kell kezdenünk a tömeges kitoloncolást!" Azóta azonban kitoloncolást alig hajtottak végre. A sok beszédnek nagyon kevés valódi politikai következménye van. Ez növeli a feszültséget és az elégedetlenséget, ami arra készteti a bevándorlásellenes szavazókat, hogy olyan pártokhoz forduljanak, mint az AfD vagy a 'szélsőbaloldali' Sahra Wagenknecht Szövetség (BSW). /Forrás: DW - Németország/

Egyesült Királyság
2025. I. 4.  Az X közösségimédia-színtéren Musk, a Tesla vezetője, több bejegyzést tett közzé, amelyekben azzal vádolta meg Starmer brit miniszterelnököt, hogy - egy 2022-es országos tanulmány szerint - amikor 6 évig volt a koronaügyészség vezetője, nem szolgáltatott igazságot azoknak a fiatal lányoknak, akiket az elmúlt évtizedekben nemi zaklatás ért Angliában, különösen pakisztáni származású férfiak bandái részéről. (Forrás: Hindustan Times - India)

Grúzia
2025. I. 4.  A grúz rendőrség külországokból származó személyeket vett őrizetbe a folyamatban lévő tüntetések során. A Belügyminisztérium tájékoztatása szerint a 25 külföldi állampolgár közül 10 már elhagyta az országot. (Forrás: Anadolu Agency - Törökország)

Oroszország
2025. I. 4.  Ukrajna lezárja az Európai Uniós-tagországok felé vezető orosz földgázvezetéket ötéves szerződése lejártát követően. Ukrajna a most lejárt megállapodásból évi 800 millió dollár (640 millió font) pénzügyi hasznot húzott. Az Európai Bizottság közölte, hogy ezt a mennyiséget az Egyesült Államokból származó cseppfolyósított földgáz (LNG) és más forrásokból - például Norvégiából - származó vezetékes behozatal helyettesítheti. Oroszország várhatóan évi 5 milliárd euro-t (4,14 milliárd fontot) veszít az Ukrajnán keresztül Európába szállított földgáz miatt. A földgáz továbbra is eljuthat Oroszországból Európába a Turkstream vezetéken keresztül. Ugyanakkor a Gazprom leállítja a földgázszállítást Moldovába egy 709 millió dolláros (565 millió font) adósság miatt. Az orosz állami kőolaj- és földgázbevételek túlnyomó része kőolaj eladásokból származik. Oroszország Kína és India legnagyobb kőolajszállítója. Ebből a két országból az Egyesült Királyság és az EU-tagországok milliárdos mennyiségben hoznak be finomított kőolajat, amelynek egy része valószínűleg Oroszországból származik, a megtorló rendelkezések ellenére. Szlovákia miniszterelnöke  azzal fenyegette Ukrajnát, hogy leállítja annak áramellátását. Szerinte az orosz földgáz áteresztés megszüntetése növeli az energiaárakat. (Forrás: The Independent - Egyesült Királyság)

2025. I. 4.  Az orosz haderő nyolc amerikai gyártmányú ATACMS rakétát lőtt le - közölte ma az Orosz Védelmi Minisztérium. Ezek Ukrajna általi alkalmazása Kijev központja elleni - röppályáján a hang sebességének ötszörösét meghaladó  - rakétatámadást indíthat el, figyelmeztetett Moszkva. (Forrás: DW - Németország)

Ázsia

Szíria
2025. I. 4.  Izrael rajtaütése 2024. szeptember 8.-án megsemmisítette az Irán által finanszírozott földalatti rakétagyárat Szíriában. (Forrás: Fox News - Egyesült Államok)

2025. I. 4.  Katonai és utánpótlási felszereléssel szállt le egy iraki teherszállító repülőgép hajnalban egy amerikai katonai támaszponton az északkelet-szíriai Al-Shaddadi városánál. Korszerű katonai felszerelések és fegyverek érkeztek korábban a Kharab al-Jir támaszpontra is. A szövetségi erők továbbra is erősítik jelenlétüket támaszpontjaikon, különösen a Koniko gázlétesítménynél és az Al-Omar olajmezőnél a folyamatban lévő katonai műveletek részeként, amelyek célja a térség biztonsága és az isis-sejtek esetleges erőszakos beavatkozásának megakadályozása. (Forrás: Shafaq News - Irak)

Magyarán szólva:

ballisztikus
bázis: katonai támaszpont
blokk: tömörülés
deportálás: kitoloncolás
eszkaláció: erőszakos beavatkozás
frusztráció: feszültség
hiperszonikus ballisztikus (rakéta): röppályáján a hang sebességének ötszörösét meghaladó
humanitárius: emberbaráti
importál: behoz
interjú
kampány: választási hírverés
koalíciós: szövetségi; pártszövetkezési
konferencia: tanácskozás
konzervatív: hagyományhű
liberális: szabadelvű
logisztika: utánpótlás
magazin: képújság
média
migráció: vándorlás
migráns: vándorló
parlamenti: törvényhozási
partner: társtag
platform
politika
poszt: tisztség
program: tervezet; tájékoztató
szankció: megtorló rendelkezés
szexuális: nemi
tranzit: áteresztés

.5 1 7  22:54

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Európa

Magyarország
2025. I. 3.  Miért fosztotta meg az Európai Unió (EU) egymilliárd euro-tól Magyarországot? 2023-ban további 20 milliárd euro-t tartottak vissza. A magyarországi jogállamiságról szóló 2024. júliusi Európai Bizottsági jelentés megállapította, hogy Orbán kormánya végrehajtott néhány átszervezést, de továbbra is rendszerszintűek a nehézségek az igazságszolgáltatással és a média függetlenségével kapcsolatban. Fenntarthatja-e a Bizottság szigorú megközelítését, vagy a kormányok nyomására enyhíti azt? Az EU változik ebben az időszakban, amikor benne egyre több bevándorlás ellenes néppárti kerül hatalomra. Trump Orbán szövetségese, de nem biztos, hogy hajlandó vagy tudna segíteni Magyarországnak ebben a vitafajtában. Ha mégis megpróbálja, az annak a jele lenne, hogy van valami alapja egy átfogó bevándorlásellenes néppárti szövetség gondolatának. (Forrás: The Conversation – honlap, központja Melbourne-ben, Victoria államban, Ausztráliában)
Holden-től, aki a nemzetközi kapcsolatok online mesterképzésének vezetője - Biztonság és fejlesztés, Plymouth Egyetem, Egyesült Királyság

Grönland
2025. I. 3.  A 60,000-es lélekszámú Grönland csak sikeres népszavazás után hirdetheti ki függetlenségét. A sziget miniszterelnöke, Múte Egede, utalva a 2025-ös népszavazásra, függetlenedni akar Dániától. (Forrás: Politico - Egyesült Államok)

Lengyelország
2025. I. 3.  Szánalmas és gyerekes. Sikorski külügyminiszter jegyzéket küldött Magyarország varsói nagykövetének: nem látják szívesen a lengyel EU-elnökség mai ünnepélyes beiktatási gáláján. (Forrás: Politico - Egyesült Államok)

Németország
2025. I. 3.  Két rendőr megsérült, egyikük súlyosan egy robbanásban tegnap este az észak-berlini Wittenau kerületben, egy rendőrségi épület előtt. (Forrás: TRT World - Törökország)

2025. I. 3.  Műszaki gondok zavarják a német repülőterek működését a szövetségi rendőrség számítógépes rendszereinek meghibásodása miatt. A mai nehézségek az utasok országba történő beléptetésére szolgáló rendszerek adatkezelésében mutatkoznak. (Forrás: Anadolu Agency - Törökország)

Európai Bizottság
2025. I. 3.  A 66 éves Der Leyen bizottsági elnök súlyos tüdőgyulladással küzd, közölte De Keersmaeker szóvivő. Nem szerepel Lengyelországban, amely épp most vette át a 27 tagú Európai Unió soros elnökségét. (Forrás: LBC - Egyesült Királyság)

Ukrajna
2025. I. 3.  Orosz drónok országszerte kilenc térséget támadtak a hadsereg szerint. A légvédelem 93 drón közül 60-at lőtt le. (Forrás: Asia One - Szingapúr)

Ázsia

Gáza
2025. I. 3.  Izraeli csapások legalább 76 embert öltek meg Gázában 2025 első három napján. (Forrás: Outlook India)

2025. I. 3.  Izraeli csapásokban tegnap és ma 50 ember vesztette életét, köztük gyermekek. A hadsereg, állítása szerint 17 000 fegyverest ölt meg Gázában. (Forrás: Telegraph India)

Izrael
2025. I. 3.  Jemenből indított rakéta hatolt be Izrael légterébe. Óvóhelyekre sietők közül 12-en megsebesültek. (Forrás: Anadolu Agency - Törökország)

Szíria
2025. I. 3.  Robbanás volt a Khalkhalah repülőtéren, Szíria déli részén, feltételezések szerint izraeli légicsapások következtében. (Forrás: MEHR News Agency - Irán).

Észak-Amerika

Egyesült Államok
2025. I. 3.  Bizalmas telefonos nyilvántartások világhálós fórumon és közlési színtéren való jogellenes továbbításával vádolják Wagenius-t, az Egyesült Államok hadseregének a texasi - Killeen-i - Fort Cavazos-ban állomásozott 20 éves katonáját. Állítólag Trump, megválasztott elnöktől és Harris alelnöktől tulajdonított el anyagokat. Novemberben hívásnaplókat ajánlott fel megvételre. (Forrás: Anadolu Agency – Törökország)

2025. I. 3.  Egy nappal azután, hogy egy Tesla Cybertruck felrobbant Las Vegasban a Trump hotel előtt, azonosították a robbanás áldozatát. Livelsberger-en a robbanás előtti öngyilkosság jelei mutatkoztak. A Tesla vezérigazgatója távolról feloldotta a sérült Cybertruck zárolását, hogy segítse a nyomozókat. E váratlan fordulat aggodalmat kelt ilyen hozzáféréssel kapcsolatban: a gyártó, termékeit gyakran a tulajdonos beleegyezése nélkül ellenőrizheti, a teljes önvezetéses működéshez pedig csak drága előfizetéssel lehet hozzájutni. Arról is szóltak hírek, hogy a Tesla alkalmazottai visszaélhettek a fedélzeti kamerákkal, kémkedtek vásárlóik után. (Forrás: Outlook India)

2025. I. 3.  Európának és Amerikának miért van szüksége egymásra? 'Trump kitart amellett, hogy van értelme Európa újra-fegyverkezésének.' "Európa és az Egyesült Államok közötti csere – iparcikkeké kőolajért – kölcsönösen előnyös lehet'. Európa számára ez a rideg kényszerhelyzet. Igazodhat ugyan olyan tekintélyelvű nemzetekhez, mint Kína, Oroszország vagy az Öböl-államok. Vagy megpróbálhat Macron-módra feszíteni, amolyan független hatalomként. Végezetül azonban az európai országok katonai, gazdasági és politikai gyengeségük okán csak csatlós államokká válnának, amelyeket kötelességtudó, pénzzel jól ellátott kínai helytartók irányítanak. Az Egyesült Államok nélkül e földrész arra van ítélve, hogy kellemetes hellyé váljon kínai, orosz és arab kiskirályok számára, ahol azok önfeledten dúskálhatnak Európa hajdanvolt dicsőségei közepette. 'Úgy tűnik, hogy az európai vezetők figyelmen kívül hagyták, hogy állampolgáraik közül sokan már most is bevándorlásellenes, nacionalista és szellemi szinten hagyományhű Trump-féle jelöltekre szavaznak". Ezekben az időkben nem engedhetjük meg magunknak azt, hogy nyugati védelmi intézmények és hírszerző szolgálatok a zöld önkényuralomra vagy transzneműségre összpontosítsanak (úgy tűnik, az MI6 vezetője őszintén hiszi, hogy szervezetének ennyi az értelme). Az őrület határát súrolja, ahogy a NATO és az Egyesült Államok hadserege rögeszmésen éghajlatváltozás ellen küzd. "A Trumpizmus az amerikai túlsúly határainak mély megbecsülését tükrözi". Trump tőkebevitelt, valamint amerikai energia- és élelmiszereladást szorgalmaz, mert úgy látja, hogy az Egyesült Államok egy becsapott fél és hogy túl „gyenge”. Ez, mint feltétlen szükség továbbra is fennáll, még akkor is, ha az Egyesült Államok gazdasága jelentősen felülmúlja Európáét. Egy gyenge hatalomnak pedig, legalábbis ebben az összehasonlításban, szövetségesekre van szüksége. Európának pedig elég erős vezetőkre, ahhoz, hogy kiálljanak Trump-pal, és kössenek vele egy jó üzletet. Sajnálatos módon nehéz találni bárkit, aki e célnak megfelel.
(Forrás: Spiked - Egyesült Királyság)
Kotkin-tól, aki az Orange-i (Kalifornia, Egyesült Államok) Chapman Egyetem Urban Studies vezető munkatársa és a Texasi Egyetem Civitas Intézetének tudományos főmunkatársa.

Magyarán szólva:

abszolutizmus: önkényuralom

archaikus: hajdanvolt

dilemma: kényszerhelyzet

forma: fajta

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