Egyik 19

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AMERICAS:

Caribbean

Cuba
February 10, 2026 / 10:44 AM EST  In late January, Mr. Trump signed an executive order that would impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba. U.S. sanctions against Cuba have been in place for more than six decades and have long stunted Cuba's economy. But they reached new extremes. Political pressure from President Trump on Latin America has effectively severed Cuba's access to its primary petroleum sources in Venezuela and Mexico. There was speculation in January that Mexico would slash oil shipments to Cuba under mounting pressure by Mr. Trump to distance itself from Havana, but on Monday, President Sheinbaum said her country would offer more help to Cuba, and called Mr. Trump's policies unfair. "There will be more support for Cuba," she said Monday as more than 800 tons of humanitarian aid was loaded onto Mexican Navy ships to be transported to Cuba. She said Mexico was taking the necessary diplomatic steps to resume oil shipments to Cuba. Isolation of Cuba dries up nation's jet fuel supplies, forcing airlines to adjust. While the rationing may not disrupt shorter regional flights, it presents a significant challenge for long-haul routes from countries like Russia and Canada - a critical pillar of Cuba's tourism economy that once generated $3 billion in annual revenue and served as a vital economic lifeline. The last time such cuts occurred - more than a decade ago - aircraft bound for Europe refueled in Nassau, Bahamas. On Monday, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to the island, while other airlines announced delays and layovers in the Dominican Republic before flights continued to Havana while others could refuel in Cancun, Mexico. Cuban aviation officials have warned airlines that there isn't enough fuel for airplanes to refuel at nine airports across the island, including José Martí International Airport in Havana, starting yesterday and continuing until March 11. Cuban officials also announced Monday that bank hours have been reduced and major cultural events like the Havana International Book Fair this weekend suspended. Fuel distribution companies said they would no longer sell gas in Cuban pesos - sales will be made in dollars and limited to about 5 gallons per user. For many Cubans, the crisis has translated into power outages lasting up to 10 hours, fuel shortages for vehicles, and a lack of food or medicine that many compare to the severe economic depression in the 1990s known as the Special Period that followed cuts in aid from what was then the Soviet Union. (Source: CBS News - U.S.)

10.02.2026  Cuba depends heavily on imported fuel to power its electricity generation, transport and food distribution, making supply disruptions especially damaging for the already struggling economy. The UN warns shortages are hitting daily life as Cuba faces deepening fuel crunch under US pressure following threats by US President Trump to impose tariffs on any country supplying oil to the Caribbean nation. Beijing says it will back Havana’s sovereignty and survival needs. ’China firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding national security and sovereignty, and opposes external interference,’ Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin told in Beijing today. Washington has stepped up pressure on Havana since early January, after a US military operation abducted Venezuelan President Maduro - a key ally of Cuba - and as part of a broader effort to isolate governments it considers hostile. In a late-January executive order, Trump labelled Cuba an unusual and extraordinary threat to US national security, declaring a national emergency and opening the door to tougher economic measures. (Source: TRT World - Turkey)

North America

United States
(Wednesday), Feb. 11, 2026 8:32 pm ET  Pentagon prepares second aircraft carrier to deploy to the Middle East in two weeks, likely from the U.S. East Coast. Trump hadn’t yet given an official order to deploy the second carrier, and that plans could change. The U.S. has built up its firepower in the region in recent weeks, sending in the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln from the South China Sea, as well as additional warships, air defenses and fighter squadrons. The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush is completing a series of training exercises off the coast of Virginia. The warship can launch and recover strike, electronic attack and reconnaissance aircraft. That includes carrier versions of the F-35 Lighting stealth fighter. Trump met today with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House to discuss Iran negotiations. “I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated. If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be, Trump said in a social-media post following the meeting. „We have plenty of time. If you remember Venezuela, we waited around for a while. And we’re in no rush. We have very good talks going with Iran, Trump told reporters on Friday. (Source: The Wall Street Journal - U.S.)

Feb. 11, 2026, 10:03 PM GMT+1  The grounding of aircraft at El Paso International Airport in Texas early today was in response to testing near Fort Bliss of U.S. military technology of high-energy lasers designed to take down drones from drug cartels that could cross over the U.S. border. The Federal Aviation Administration responded by issuing a Temporary Flight Restriction Notice. The notice said the airspace was classified as national defense airspace. FAA halted all flights out of El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days - from Feb. 11 to Feb. 21 - .for what it said were special security reasons before abruptly lifting the order. A Trump administration official earlier told that Mexican cartel drones had breached American airspace and the Defense Department had disabled them. El Paso Mayor Johnson said all aviation operations, including emergency flights, were grounded. El Paso borders Mexico and the city of Ciudad Juárez. The airport handled 3.49 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2025. Mexican President Sheinbaum said officials in her country had not seen evidence of drone activity along the border. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)

02/11/26 12:07 p.m. EST  Starting this year, Gallup, the public opinion polling agency will no longer track presidential approval ratings after more than eight decades doing so. The company said it would stop publishing approval and favorability ratings of individual political figures. President Trump has seen his rating by the agency slip in recent months, peaking at 47 percent last February and dipping to less than 37 percent in its last poll taken in December. (Source: The Hill - U.S.)

Feb 11, 2026, 12:40pm GMT+1  Anthropic safety researcher, CEO Amodei quit, saying the world is in peril in part over AI advances. Anthropic was founded with the explicit goal of creating safe AI; its CEO Amodei said at Davos that AI progress is going too fast and called for regulation to force industry leaders to slow down. Sharma said the safety team constantly faces pressures to set aside what matters most, citing concerns about bioterrorism and other risks. Two key members of OpenAI’s Superalignment team, tasked with steering AI development, quit in 2024, saying the company emphasized financial gain over minimizing the dangers of building Other AI safety researchers have left leading firms, citing concerns about catastrophic risks. (Source: Semafor – U.S.)

February 11, 2026, 5:16 AM  What war with Iran would look like? Decapitation strikes against the regime are likely. In recent weeks, the United States has dramatically reinforced its military posture in the Middle East. Iranian officials insist that they will not capitulate under pressure. Yet both sides continue to speak, often simultaneously, about negotiations. The most plausible outcome of the current standoff is not a U.S. invasion of Iran or a full-scale regional war. In international politics war, or the threat of it is used as an instrument of bargaining. When diplomacy alone cannot produce credible commitments - that we are witnessing today - is not a collapse of diplomacy but its militarization alongside quiet but ongoing negotiations in Oman, where Iranian and U.S. interlocutors are attempting to probe each other’s red lines and willingness to compromise. In bargaining logic, diplomacy and military pressure often advance in parallel, not sequentially. From Washington’s perspective, Iran appears weaker today than at any point in the past decade. Over the last two years, Tehran’s regional deterrence architecture, once framed around the so-called Axis of Resistance, has eroded significantly. Even Iran’s own airspace was exposed during the 12-day war with Israel last year. Iran still possesses substantial missile and drone capabilities, and it may even have expanded parts of its arsenal. Iranian missiles partially broke through Israeli Iron Dome during the recent war. But Iran’s ability to impose unacceptable costs on its adversaries across multiple theaters, has weakened. Inside Washington one camp argues that this is precisely the moment to escalate pressure. Iran, in their view, is strategically cornered and unusually flexible. Negotiations, therefore, should be used to extract maximal concessions on the nuclear program, on missiles, and on regional proxies. Some voices go further, openly advocating regime change as an attainable goal if sufficient force is applied. Why settle for limited gains when the balance of power appears favorable? The second camp emphasizes that U.S. President Trump has consistently opposed large-scale military interventions and endless wars. The current moment presents an opportunity for Trump to claim victory without plunging the United States into another Middle Eastern conflict. A deal achieved under pressure would allow Washington to constrain Iran while reinforcing Trump’s long-standing narrative: that strength, not war, produces results. Commitments narrow his room for maneuver. Launching a full-scale war contradicts his core political brand. “Peace through strength’- military force is a tool to compel negotiation on favorable terms. Limited, decisive action is meant to deter adversaries, reassure allies, and demonstrate resolve, without dragging the United States into prolonged conflict. A limited strike becomes likely if Iran withholds the kind of concessions Trump needs to claim victory. U.S. policymakers see a limited, calibrated strike, rather than an invasion, ’as the most attractive’ tool. It signals resolve, satisfies domestic hawks, preserves Trump’s anti-forever-war credentials, and, critically, reshapes the bargaining environment ahead of more serious negotiations. The U.S. operation in Venezuela also reinforced the plausibility of this model. But in Venezuela, Washington pursued quiet, pre-strike talks with regime insiders before arresting Maduro. The Venezuelan precedent resonated in Tehran: it signaled that directly targeting the apex of a state’s command structure is no longer unthinkable, nor prohibitively costly, a lesson that now shapes Iran’s threat perceptions. An invasion of Iran would be strategically irrational. The United States lacks the political and strategic justification to do so. Few in Washington believe they could manage Iran’s size, population, and internal complexity without triggering prolonged instability. The costs would be enormous, the regional consequences uncontrollable, and domestic support deeply uncertain - a strategic self-inflicted wound in the context of great-power competition, inevitably diverting U.S. military, financial, and political resources away from Washington’s primary strategic focus: competition with China. An attritional conflict in the Middle East would raise global energy prices, fuel domestic inflation, strain U.S. alliances, and reduce Washington’s capacity to project power in the Indo-Pacific. From Beijing’s perspective, such a war would function as a strategic diversion, tying down U.S. attention while China consolidates its position on Taiwan, the South China Sea, and critical technology supply chains. Even a successful initial invasion would not guarantee regime collapse, but it would almost certainly entangle the United States in a costly stabilization effort. For U.S. policymakers this makes invasion fundamentally incompatible with the United States’ long-term global priorities. Military planners understand this. The debate has shifted away from invasion toward more surgical uses of force. The most plausible option is decapitation. This would likely be followed by a U.S. strategy of escalation dominance aimed at deterring Iran’s vowed retaliation from escalating into all-out war. The message would be unmistakable: „The United States can strike at the heart of the Iranian system’, absorb limited retaliation, and still control the ladder of escalation. ’The strike would be designed to end quickly, signaling that Washington seeks leverage, not war. A decapitation-style strike raises the costs of defiance while reopening the door to negotiations; this time on altered terms. Tehran could choose a limited, symbolic retaliation, calibrated to preserve deterrence and domestic credibility without inviting uncontrolled escalation, avoiding a direct clash with U.S. forces. Alternatively, Iran could reject the logic of U.S. escalation dominance altogether, responding instead in ways that deliberately widen the conflict and challenge Washington’s ability to control the pace and scope of escalation. This could include targeting U.S. assets across multiple regional theaters, threatening maritime chokepoints, or accelerating nuclear activities to alter the strategic calculus. Even when both sides seek to avoid full-scale war, miscalculation, misreading of resolve, or domestic pressures can push them beyond intended limits. Once violence becomes the medium of communication, actions meant to deter can instead provoke. This is why the current moment is so volatile. The likely sequence is force followed by negotiation: A strike occurs. A strike would not mark the failure of diplomacy. It would be its grim precondition. Bargaining through force is used to avoid war, yet it brings war closer. The question is no longer whether force will be used, but whether it can be used without unleashing a conflict that neither side truly intends, yet both would struggle to contain. (Source: Foreign Policy - U.S.)
by Reisinezhad, a visiting fellow of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics and Political Science; Reisinezhad, a lecturer in economics at the University of Essex.

February 11, 2026 2:32 AM  Walk for peace.  Draped in burnt-orange robes, a group of two dozen Buddhist monks were walking from Texas to end 3,700km journey in Washington DC. The monks began their walk in Texas more than three months ago, at times braving frigid winter temperatures, sometimes with bare feet, to raise "awareness of peace, loving kindness, and compassion across America and the world." The marchers continued on despite a powerful winter storm that spread a paralysing mix of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain from the Ohio Valley and mid-South to New England, compounded by bitter, Arctic cold gripping much of the US. "The Walk for Peace is a simple yet meaningful reminder that unity and kindness begin within each of us and can radiate outward to families, communities, and society as a whole," said Pannakara, spiritual leader of the Walk for Peace. The self-described spiritual journey across nine states has been cheered on by crowds of thousands. The Walk for Peace has made stops in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. During their stop in North Carolina, the state's governor, Stein, thanked the monks for bringing hope to millions with their message of peace, equality, justice and compassion. "You are inspiring people at a time when so many are in need of inspiration,’ Stein said. „Our country needs this. We feel divided and people want more kindness and more compassion and more peace," Donoghue, 59, from Silver Spring, Maryland, said. The Buddhist monks arrived in Washington yesterday accompanied by people pet Aloka, a rescue dog from India who has gained a following on social media as "he Peace Dog. In Washington, hundreds of people came out to see the monks as they walked along a road informally known as Embassy Row because of the high number of embassies and diplomatic residences. While they waited hours just to see the monks for less than a minute, many of the spectators said the camaraderie and good energy made the experience worthwhile. "They are beautiful distraction from the chaos that is taking place in the city, the country and in the world right now. "It gives everyone a second to pause and think about something that is not as stressful as what the chaos is creating, O'Donoghue, 62, of Washington said. The monks met with spiritual and other leaders after arriving in Washington. They also held an interfaith ceremony at the National Cathedral. They will spend today in Washington and end their journey in nearby Annapolis, Maryland tomorrow. During the ceremony at the cathedral, Bassett, the District of Columbia's secretary of state, presented the monks with a proclamation honouring them on behalf of the Washington Mayor Bowser. Your pilgrimage has brought people together across cities, states and communities, Bassett said. Although the walk has been positive, it has not been without obstacles. While walking through Dayton, Texas, a truck struck the monks' escort vehicle, injuring several people. Two monks sustained serious injuries and one had his leg amputated. Despite the accident, the group continued to trek across the US to honour not only their original message of peace but also their brothers. The walk has garnered support from millions of people on social media, with many sharing messages of support for the monks. Supporters have braved snow and rain to meet and offer flowers to the monks as they passed through their cities. (Source: AsiaOne - Singapore)

February 10, 2026 1:22pm EST  I do think that some of our allies have under-invested in Arctic security, and if we're going to invest in Arctic security, if we're basically going to pay a lot of money and be on the hook for protecting this massive landmass, I think it's only reasonable for the United States to get some benefit out of that, and that's going to be the focus of the negotiations here over the next few months, Vice President Vance said today before boarding Air Force Two upon departure for Azerbaijan, at Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan, Armenia. Greenland is very important to the national security of the United States of America, Vance added. "It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it. If we don’t, Russia or China will, and that is not going to happen! Trump said in mid-January. A week later, Trump said, "Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region.’ "We have been in close dialogue with NATO and I have spoken to NATO Secretary General Rutte on an ongoing basis, including both before and after his meeting with President Trump in Davos. NATO is fully aware of the position of the Kingdom of Denmark. We can negotiate on everything political; security, investments, economy. But we cannot negotiate on our sovereignty," Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen asserted in a statement. (Source: Fox News - U.S.)

10.02.2026  The administration of US President Trump considers expanding nuclear arsenal and possibly resuming underground nuclear testing following the expiration of the last major US-Russia arms control treaty. According to a report published yesterday by The New York Times, the recent statements from senior officials suggest Washington is reviewing options to deploy additional nuclear weapons and it is preparing for possible renewed testing. This would mark a significant shift from decades of US policy aimed at limiting and reducing deployed warheads. The report followed the expiration of the New START treaty, which had capped the number of deployed strategic warheads for both the US and Russia at about 1,550. DiNanno, the State Department’s undersecretary for arms control and international security, told a disarmament forum in Geneva that the expired treaty had placed unilateral constraints on Washington and said the US is now free to strengthen nuclear deterrence. Options include expanding existing forces and activating non-deployed nuclear capabilities if directed by Trump. One potential step involves reactivating missile tubes on the US Navy Ohio-class submarines that had been disabled to comply with treaty limits, allowing additional nuclear-armed missiles to be deployed at sea. Some experts believe such moves could be intended to pressure Russia and China into new arms control negotiations, while others warn they could instead trigger a broader arms buildup. DiNanno also addressed nuclear testing, offering the first detailed explanation of Trump’s earlier call to resume testing ’on an equal basis’ with Russia and China. He suggested Moscow and Beijing may have conducted smaller, hard-to-detect nuclear explosive tests, including a suspected Chinese test in 2020, though an international monitoring network reported no detection at the time. The US last conducted a full-scale nuclear explosive test in 1992. Hruby, former head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, told the newspaper the administration’s intentions remain unclear. Wallace, former director of Los Alamos National Laboratory, also expressed surprise at the certainty of claims about foreign testing, the report said. Trump declined an informal extension proposed by Russian President Putin while the sides considered negotiating a replacement accord. On February 5, he said Washington should seek a new, improved and modernised nuclear arms control agreement rather than extending the New START with Moscow. (Source: TRT World - Turkey)

NATO

Wednesday 11 February 2026 16:19 GMT  The specter of the alliance’s most powerful country threatening to annex part of another ally, Denmark – Greenland, a semiautonomous territory in the Danish realm - has deeply shaken the rest of the alliance. NATO has launched a new military effort in Greenland, dubbed Arctic Sentry. Initially, it will be the NATO label for national military exercises in the region, such as Denmark’s Arctic Endurance and Norway’s Cold Response drills. It does not involve the permanent or even long-term deployment of troops to the region under a NATO banner. NATO’s role in this series of military activities will be coordinated through its U.S. headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia. “Arctic Sentry underscores the alliance’s commitment to safeguard its members and maintain stability in one of the world’s most strategically significant and environmentally challenging areas,” said U.S. Air Force Gen. Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe. As part of the effort, the United Kingdom has announced that the number of British troops deployed to Norway will double over three years from 1,000 to 2,000. Other NATO activities will be added to Arctic Sentry once broader security needs are assessed and as the national military exercises end. France and Germany have said they will take part but have not said how many troops would be involved. European allies hope that Arctic Sentry and ongoing talks between the Trump administration, Denmark and Greenland will allow NATO to move on from the dispute. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

South America

Colombia
Feb 11, 2026 02: 31 am IST  Yesterday night, Colombian President Petro's helicopter was unable to land at his destination on the Caribbean coast because of fears that unspecified people he did not name ’were going to shoot’ at it. Today, in a cabinet meeting he said he have escaped assassination attempt hours earlier, after months of warnings about an alleged plot by drug traffickers to target him. "We headed out to open sea for four hours and I arrived somewhere we weren't supposed to go, escaping from being killed”, Petro said. The cabinet meeting was broadcast live. Petro's claim came amid a surge in violence months ahead of presidential elections. Petro is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term. The country is marred by decades of conflict between guerrilla and other armed groups. Colombia has a long list of leftist leaders, including presidential candidates, assassinated over the years. Petro, the South American country's first-ever leftist president claimed that a drug-trafficking cabal has had its sights set on ending his life ever since assuming office in August 2022. He had reported another alleged attempt on his life in 2024. The alleged plot involves narco bosses and war lords such as Mordisco, who commands the largest group of dissidents who broke with the FARC guerrilla army after it agreed to disarm under a 2016 peace agreement. /Source: New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) - India / Agence France-Presse/

Venezuela
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.  US Energy Secretary Wright arrived today in Venezuela for a firsthand assessment of the country’s oil industry. The visit further asserts the U.S. government’s self-appointed role in turning around Venezuela’s dilapidated energy sector. Venezuelan acting President Rodriguez greeted U.S. Energy Secretary at Miraflores presidential palace in the capital, Caracas. Wright is expected to meet with government officials, oil executives and others during a three-day visit to the South American country. His visit comes as the administration of U.S. President Trump continues to lift sanctions to allow foreign companies to operate in Venezuela and help rebuild the nation’s most important industry. It follows last month’s enactment of a Venezuelan law that opened the nation’s oil sector to private investment. Rodríguez proposed the overhaul of the country’s energy law after Trump said his administration would take control of Venezuela’s oil exports and revitalize the ailing industry by luring foreign investment. „Rodríguez’s government expects the changes to the country’s oil law to serve as assurances for major U.S. oil companies that have so far hesitated about returning to the volatile country. Some of those companies lost investments when the ruling party enacted the existing law two decades ago to favor Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PDVSA. The new law now grants private companies control over oil production and sales, ending PDVSA’s monopoly over those activities as well as pricing. ’It also allows for independent arbitration of disputes, removing a mandate for disagreements to be settled only in Venezuelan courts, which are controlled by the ruling party. Foreign investors view the involvement of independent arbitrators as crucial to guard against future expropriation. Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves and produces about 1 million barrels a day. Wright today told the blockade is essentially over as the U.S. is ’flowing Venezuelan crude out, selling it at a much higher price than Venezuela was selling it before,’ and the revenue is being used in ’specific projects’ benefiting Venezuelans. Since Maduro’s Jan. 3 ouster, the Trump administration set out to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s petroleum products and oversee where the revenue flows. Wright planned to visit oil fields tomorrow. (Source: AP - U.S.)

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             Globalization has failed

                                 (World Economic Forum)

                                            The start of a new World Order

(Video) 

by Jikh

January 27, 2026:

2 614 948 views;
8 064 comments

Keywords:
BlackRock    Chevron    China     Europe     ExxonMobil     globalization     Greenland     Japan     NATO     North Korea     Russia     State Street Corpoation     Switzerland     Taiwan     Ukraine     United States     The Vanguard Group     Venezuela     video     World Economic Forum     World War II

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Europe

France
22/01/2026 - 20:24  „Boards & committees do not resolve conflicts, mediators resolve conflicts.' ’No country that's credible, has a democratic process, and has thought this through, is going to sign up to a board which has no set of governing principles, and is completely tethered to the whims, fantasies, and likes or dislikes of a single individual,’ Miller, former US Mideast negotiator, Diplomat, and Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace offers assessment of Trump's peace initiative in Gaza. (Source: France 24)
/Video/

22/01/2026 - 20:11  The European Union must remain ⁠vigilant and ready to respond firmly in case of new threats, President Macron said in Brussels ahead of an emergency EU leaders summit to discuss U.S. President Trump's intends to acquire Greenland. (Source: France 24)
/Video/

Germany
22 January 2026  When Merz speaks twice of reconciliation with Russia shortly after a strategically important visit to India, it is a signal of reconsidering both ’its bitter animosity toward Moscow and its self-destructive, short-sighted alignment with Beijing’. Germany has spent the past three years presenting its Russia policy as both a moral imperative and a strategic necessity. Sanctions were meant ’to break Moscow’. Energy disassociation was framed as ’liberation’. ’Economic pain was justified as the price of defending values’. Yet none of this has delivered the promised outcome. Quite the opposite. Russia has not collapsed, its economy has adapted, its trade has found new partners. And Europe – Germany above all – has absorbed the costs. Germany followed the most rigid line of transatlantic confrontation with Russia, even as the US retained some flexibility. China exploited Europe’s strategic paralysis, deepening its economic influence over the Old Continent. Germany hesitated to confront the threat. German industry is struggling under high energy prices, shrinking competitiveness, Chinese antagonism and slowing growth. The geopolitical leverage Berlin expected never materialised. Instead, Germany finds itself weaker and more exposed. Now, Merz’s remarks may not be a peace offer. But they hint at a growing recognition inside Germany’s elites that the current state of affairs has reached its limits - confrontation without an endgame in sight is no longer a viable strategy. And Merz has just returned from a high-profile official visit to Delhi. Berlin seems to have acknowledged that India is not merely an alternative market or supplier. It is becoming central to Germany’s strategic thinking exactly because of China. It is collapsing, that for years, Berlin built part of its prosperity on deep economic integration with Beijing. It was treating China primarily as a commercial partner while downplaying its authoritarian policies, scandalous competition practices and geopolitical ambitions. China is no longer just a difficult partner. It is a systemic rival and an emerging strategic threat to European interests. German companies face mounting pressure in China: Forced technology transfers, market restrictions, political interference and growing unpredictability amidst unethical competition shape a difficult relationship. Beijing’s willingness to weaponise trade have fundamentally altered the risk factor. Germany has tied too much of its industrial future to a country whose interests increasingly diverge from Europe’s – and whose leverage over German supply chains has now become profound, as China floods the EU with cheap goods, from clothing and appliances to gadgets and EVs. New Delhi offers demographic growth and a vast and expanding market, without threatening German companies or demanding political subordination. India trades with Russia, does business with the US and deepens ties with Europe all while maintaining its own strategic independence. In this context for Germany, India is a necessary pillar in any serious diversification strategy away from China. But Germany cannot break free from China while maintaining a permanent freeze with Russia. Cutting off both superpowers simultaneously leaves Berlin with too few options, too little energy security, and too narrow a strategic horizon. Germany reroutes under pressure. It recognises that Washington is already doing, what Europe avoids: The United States keeps channels open, manages escalation and makes post-war arrangements. Europe has been moralising. America under Trump strategises. Now Berlin must catch up. Engagement is not surrender, acknowledging failure is not weakness, but the most important precondition of a return to sustainable policies. The danger for Germany is further delay. So, if Germany is reassessing its approach to Russia, it is not because it has changed its values, but because it has rediscovered reality. (Source: Brussels Signal - Belgium)
by Bogdanos

Europol
22/01/2026 - 11:35  A coordinated European police operation has dismantled a vast cross-border synthetic drug ring. The year-long crackdown, announced today by Europol, saw officers take down 24 industrial-scale laboratories and seize roughly 1,000 tonnes of chemicals used to produce street drugs including MDMA, amphetamine and methamphetamine. More than 85 people were arrested, among them two suspected ringleaders from Poland. During the raids, authorities seized more than 120,000 litres of toxic chemical waste that criminals typically dump on land or into streams. "I think this is genuinely a massive blow to organised crime groups involved in drug trafficking, specifically of synthetic drugs”, Kraag, head of Europol’s European Serious and Organised Crime Centre said. Police forces from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain worked together on the operation which exposed a network stretching across the European Union. First, in 2024, Polish police noticed a network importing unusually large volumes of legal chemicals from China and India. The substances were being repackaged, mislabelled and redistributed across the EU to clandestine laboratories. Most of those arrested are Polish nationals. Belgian and Dutch suspects are also believed to have played roles in the criminal enterprise. (Source: RFI - France)

Albania, Kosovo
22.01.2026.  Albania and Kosovo accepted US President Trump’s invitation to join the Board of Peace, which had been also sent to approximately 50 countries around the globe. The Board was formally established on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. ABC News reported that the National Assembly of Albania is holding a plenary session today to ratify the country’s accession to the Peace Board. The draft law on this issue was sent by Prime Minister Edi Rama to the parliament. The Albanian people will always remember and continue to cherish the principled and decisive role of the United States of America in advancing peace and stability in our region at critical moments of our shared history. In this enduring spirit of partnership, I wish to reaffirm that the Republic of Albania stands resolutely with the United States of America in all efforts to promote peace, security, and constructive global engagement, the press release by the Albanian Government notes. Similarly, President of Kosovo, Osmani, said that she was deeply honoured by Trump’s personal invitation to represent the Republic of Kosovo as a founding member of the Board of Peace. True leadership doesn’t just talk about peace, it delivers it. That is exactly what Trump is doing through this historic initiative. America helped bring peace to Kosovo. Today, Kosovo stands firmly as America’s ally, ready to help carry that peace forward. History remembers those who take bold steps to build peace – and we are ready, Osmani wrote on X. Montenegro officially stated that it had not been invited to join such an initiative. (European Western Balkans - Serbia)

Russia
10:20 am, January 22, 2026  Russian President Putin said Moscow is prepared to transfer $1 billion from Russian assets frozen in the United States to U.S. President Trump’s “Board of Peace.” Trump first proposed the board in September as part of a plan to end the war in Gaza. Its charter, however, envisions significantly broader powers, effectively positioning the board as an alternative to the U.N., and does not mention Gaza. Leaders from dozens of countries, including Putin, have been invited to join. Putin has not yet publicly announced whether he will accept the invitation. The New York Times reported Belarusian leader Lukashenko who was also invited to join the council has already accepted. The board’s charter requires a $1 billion contribution for permanent membership. “Even before we decide on our participation in the Council’s membership or its work, given Russia’s special relationship with the Palestinian people, I believe we could transfer $1 billion to the Board of Peace from Russian assets that were frozen under the previous U.S. administration,” Putin said today at a meeting with permanent members of Russia’s Security Council, according to the Kremlin’s website. Putin said he plans to raise the issue in talks with U.S. presidential envoy Witkoff and Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who are scheduled to arrive in Moscow tomorrow. He also said he would discuss the matter with Palestinian leader Abbas. Putin added that the remaining funds from Russia’s U.S.-frozen assets could be used to rebuild territories damaged by fighting after a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine is signed. He said that option is also under discussion with representatives of the U.S. administration. (Source: Meduza – bazed in Latvia)

World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland
(22 January 2026), Ukraine  Zelensky had travelled through the night to get to Davos. After he met President Trump in Davos, he says trilateral talks on ending the war in Ukraine are to take place with Russia and the US in the United Arab Emirates. Zelensky ’joked’ that he hoped the Emirates knew about the planned meeting. The head of the country's national security and defence council, Umerov, was already talking to US officials in Davos, along with Budanov, the head of Zelensky's office, and negotiator Arakhamia. They will be joined by the chief of the general staff, Hnatov. ’It's all about the land. This is the issue which is not solved yet,’ Zelensky told reporters at the WEF, adding that trilateral talks might provide the two sides with ’variants’. Earlier he used his Davos speech to criticise his European allies for a lack of political will to take action against Russia. ’As part of the US 20-point plan, Zelensky has offered to withdraw troops by up to 40km from the 25% of the Donetsk region that Ukraine still controls in order to create an economic zone in Donbas, if Russia does the same’. Putin is known to covet control of the entire region, and Russian forces have advanced slowly in the east in the past year. Kremlin spokesman Peskov said yesterday that discussions with the American envoys would continue ’on the Ukrainian issue and other related topics" and refused to say whether he shared Witkoff's optimism on achieving a deal. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

(22 january 2026 9:02 pm CET), Ukraine  'Has Ukraine been ignored at Davos? ’Zelenskyy dropped a barrage of brutal truth bombs on his European allies’ about their collective failure to stand up to Russian President Putin and be respected by his US counterpart, Trump. Following a face-to-face meeting with Trump, he said ’the UK and Europe’ are repeating rhetoric about what needs to be done - without taking the action required to make things change. ’They were left scrambling to respond to world events instead of standing united as a great power with the ability to shape their collective destiny. He says Europe ’is a fragmented kaleidoscope of small and middle powers, endlessly talking about what needs to be done, without doing it. Zelenskyy pointed ’to the row with Washington over Greenland, which was started and ended by Trump after he threatened to seize the territory, only to back down, but not before plunging the rest of the alliance into crisis and taking attention away from Russia's war in Ukraine. Only from such a position of strength could Europe hope ’to influence supposed friends such as Trump and foes like Putin’. Frustrated, ’Ukraine's wartime leader listed failure after failure by London, Berlin, Paris, and the rest of Europe's NATO capitals to adopt a united front in the face of rapidly evolving challenges. He also slammed the Europeans for ’standing on the sidelines while Iran killed thousands of protesters earlier this month. His strongest ’condemnation was for the continued weakness of European allies’ in the face of Russia's full-scale invasion. Zelenskyy noted how Trump had moved quickly to capture Venezuela's former president Maduro and put him on trial, ’while Putin remains at large. He was similarly scathing about efforts to bring about a ceasefire in Ukraine, signalling that work led by the UK and France to establish a coalition of the willing „was an empty gesture” without US involvement. "What about the ceasefire itself? Who can help make it happen? he asked’. ’Europe loves to discuss the future, but avoids taking action today. Finally Zelenskyy called on nations across Europe ’ to create a united armed forces to defend their continent ’. ’This would be instead of relying on an increasingly unpredictable US as part of the NATO alliance’ - an idea that has in the past been rejected by countries like the UK that put operating with US forces as a central part of their security planning. ’We should not accept that Europe is just a salad of small and middle powers seasoned with enemies of Europe.’ When united, ’we’ are truly invincible, he said. ’President Trump loves who he is, and he says he loves Europe, but he will not listen to this kind of Europe. The remarks over progress on peace talks come ahead of what Zelenskyy calls ’the first’ trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the US, and Russia in the UAE. The talks were first mentioned by US envoy Witkoff at an event in Davos today morning. He said he and Kushner would travel to the UAE directly from Moscow tomorrow night for meetings with working groups from both sides on specific aspects of the peace plan, including "military to military" issues. Zelenskyy then mentioned the talks in his speech. He said they'd be ’at a technical level. Afterwards, Kyiv announced it'll be sending its team including lead negotiator Umerov as well as Zelenskyy's chief of staff Budanov. The attendance of such figures could indicate that the meeting has taken greater significance than originally planned. Perhaps something changed over the course of the day. The Kremlin has since said it will send admiral Kostyukov. But it reiterated there is no chance of a long-term settlement without solving the territorial issue agreed upon at the Trump-Putin Alaska summit. (Source: Sky News - United Kingdom)

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Europe

World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland
1/22/2026, US  We have a masterplan. … There is no Plan B, said Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, unveiling his vision for postwar Gaza in front of an audience of the World Economic Forum at Davos. In 2019, he hosted a summit in Bahrain under the title, “From Peace to Prosperity,” which imagined “a bustling commercial and tourist center in Gaza and the West Bank’, where international businesses come together and thrive. With an almost complete lack of political will across the board, those plans never got off the ground. Now, a presentation took place immediately after the signing of the charter for US President Trump’s Board of Peace, representing the next stage in the 20-point ceasefire plan agreed between Israel and Hamas in October. Kushner, who played a leading role in brokering that agreement, leaned into optimism, albeit with notes of caution and a notable omission: the international stabilization force, a key part of Trump’s original ceasefire plan for the Gaza Strip. If Hamas does not demilitarize, that will be what holds back the people of Gaza from achieving their aspirations, he said. A map of Gaza was pulled up on a screen to show how the enclave would be developed. ’A coastal tourism zone would run along the seafront - long enough for up to 180 skyscrapers, many likely earmarked as hotels’. A port was shown at the southwestern end of Gaza, alongside the border with Egypt, and immediately inland from the port, the map showed zoning for an airport. Kushner highlighted two urban developments, which he referred to as New Rafah and New Gaza. At New Rafah, more than 100,000 permanent housing units would be built, along with over 200 schools and more than 75 medical facilities, he said. He expressed hope that the construction would be completed within two to three years. Work has already begun to remove the rubble, he said. New Gaza is to be a center of industry, with the aim of achieving 100% full employment, Kushner said. Computer-generated images suggest a metropolis bearing a strong resemblance to Persian Gulf cities like Doha and Dubai, with gleaming waterside accommodations and office locations. The presentation was scant on details about how it would all be realized. Two years of Israeli bombardment has left more than 80% of Gaza’s buildings damaged or destroyed. Governments will make the first contributions, Kushner said, with initial announcements to come at a conference in Washington in the next couple of weeks. He also appealed to the private sector to come forward, promising ’amazing investment opportunities”. Senior Palestinian officials have been slow to react to Kushner’s presentation. Criticism has highlighted a sense that their powerlessness is being exploited. “Palestinians face a plan to eliminate their very presence, based on domestication, subjugation, and control,’ Abdu, the Palestinian founder of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor group, posted on X. Currently, Israel’s military is present in just over half the territory, including the city of Rafah. The original 20-point plan, which secured the ceasefire and the release of hostages in October, included details about the creation of an international stabilization force (ISF) that would facilitate Israel’s complete withdrawal. So far, third parties have been reluctant to commit to joining the force, and Israel, for its part, has objected to possible participants such as Turkey. Kushner made no reference to any international force. Israel’s withdrawal was reduced to little more than a line on one of the presentation slides: “Gaza-wide demilitarization enables full IDF withdrawal to the security perimeter.” The task of overseeing demilitarization, Kushner made clear, will fall to the new technocratic committee, the on-the-ground component of Trump’s Board of Peace structure, made up entirely of Palestinian appointees. Without it happening, he said, “we cannot rebuild.’ The presentation said that heavy weapons, tunnels, military infrastructure, munitions and production facilities will be destroyed. It did not dictate how the process will be carried out. Hamas has tended to say it would hand over weapons only to a Palestinian army in a Palestinian state. More recently, Naim, a senior Hamas official, has spoken of freezing or storing its arms in the context of the current ceasefire. The Palestinian Authority (PA) has expressed concerns that the new technocratic committee represents a threat to its centrality in Palestinian politics. Kushner was referencing to the committee as a new government in Gaza, indicating a possible end to the role of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which looks out of the running there. UNRWA provides public services to Palestinian refugees, who number well over half the population of Gaza. The head of Gaza’s new technocratic committee, Shaath, said in a video statement, it is important to turn this moment into action. He announced the opening next week of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, signaling, he said, that the enclave is „no longer closed to the future and to the world.” (Source: CNN - U.S.)

Jan 22, 2026 18:30 IST  US President Trump yesterday warned Hamas of swift military action if it fails to give up its weapons, as he launched a new peace initiative at Davos with 35 nations, warning Hamas to disarm or face severe consequences. Trump’s Gaza-focused Board of Peace aims to oversee ceasefire and reconstruction efforts in Gaza while fostering broader international cooperation and admitting that the Ukraine war has proved probably the most difficult conflict to resolve. Presiding over a high-profile signing ceremony attended by world leaders and senior diplomats, Trump framed Hamas disarmament as the first test of the new body. ’If Hamas doesn’t agree to give up weapons, they’re going to be blown away,’ Trump said, adding that Washington would know “over the next two or three days, certainly over the next three weeks” whether the group intends to comply. The ceremony marked the formal signing of the Board of Peace charter, an initiative initially designed to stabilise Gaza’s fragile ceasefire through oversight of enforcement, reconstruction and security coordination. Trump, however, made clear that he sees the board taking on a broader global role. India was notably absent from the signing ceremony of Trump’s Board of Peace in Davos, even as Pakistan was seen participating in the event, underscoring New Delhi’s caution and Islamabad’s eagerness to join the US-led initiative. India had received an invitation to join the board on Sunday. New Delhi has neither accepted nor rejected the offer so far. In contrast, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the ceremony, formally placing Islamabad among the founding members of the board alongside countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE and Azerbaijan. Islamabad’s involvement in cross-border terrorism is an issue India has raised at multiple international forums. „India joined France, the United Kingdom, China and Germany in skipping the event’. The United Kingdom said it is not joining at present, citing concerns over the board’s expanded mandate and the possible participation of Russian President Putin. Former UK Prime Minister Blair was among those attending the ceremony. France has declined to join - earlier this week, Trump threatened to impose 200 percent tariffs on French wine after President Macron declined to participate. China has not indicated its position. Trump said he would serve as the inaugural chairman of the board and described it in sweeping terms. “It has the potential to be one of the most consequential bodies ever created,” he said. “Just about every country wants to be a part of it.’ He rejected suggestions that the board was designed to replace the United Nations. “Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do, and we’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations,” Trump said, adding that the UN had ’tremendous potential’ that had not been fully utilised. UN spokesperson Gomez later said UN engagement with the board would be limited to the framework endorsed by a Security Council resolution linked to Trump’s Gaza peace plan. Trump repeated his assertion that he has settled eight wars since coming to office and said another settlement was imminent. US Secretary of State Rubio said the board’s immediate focus would be ensuring implementation of the Gaza peace plan, while also serving as a model for conflict resolution elsewhere. Trump also praised his administration’s broader foreign policy record, pointing to US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites last summer, which he said had ’obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear capacity. “Iran does want to talk, and will talk,” he said, before referring to US operations against the islamic state group in Syria. Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and a key Gaza negotiator, said the next phase of the ceasefire would address reconstruction funding and Hamas disarmament. The Gaza ceasefire, agreed in October, has faltered repeatedly, with Israel and Hamas trading accusations over violations and aid restrictions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted an invitation to join the board. Palestinian factions have endorsed Trump’s plan and backed a transitional committee to administer Gaza under the board’s oversight. Claiming global tensions were easing, Trump said threats to Europe, America and the Middle East “are really calming down”. (Source: India Today)

January 22, 2026 06:02, US  There is no debate about that President Trump delivered „huge win for Americans in Greenland deal framework’, and other foreign policy moves. (Source: Fox News - U.S.)
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22/01/2026 - 11:56  US President Trump says he has reached a framework agreement over Greenland and has backed down from threats to impose tariffs - against Denmark and  on other European allies that have sent troops to Greenland in solidarity, including France, Britain, and Germany - as leverage to seize the Danish territory, a dispute that has shaken the NATO alliance. „We have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region,’ he said in a social media post, after meeting with NATO Secretary General Rutte. Trump did not give details of the framework agreement, but said it met his demands. “Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st,” he added. It’s a deal that everybody’s very happy with, Trump told reporters, hours after a speech in which he appeared to remove the threat of force to seize Greenland. „I think it puts everybody in a really good position, especially as it pertains to security, and minerals and everything else.’ Rutte later said the question of whether Greenland would remain part of Denmark did not come up during his talks with Trump. NATO has no authority over Greenland’s sovereignty. European diplomats said the president’s sudden shift in tone does not resolve the dispute but helps defuse the rift between allies and allows them to work out their differences in private. Meanwhile, skepticism of Trump’s turnaround remains in Greenland. Chenmitz, one of two Greenlandic lawmakers in the Danish parliament, questioned why NATO would have a voice on the island's mineral wealth. ’NATO in no case has the right to negotiate on anything without us, Greenland," she posted on social media. (Source: RFI - France)

Thursday, 22 January 2026 10:37, UK  Trump: United Nations has 'tremendous potential'. He is rolling out his "Board of Peace" at the World Economic Forum in Davos after an eventful 24 hours in which he unexpectedly U-turned on Greenland. But for now the UK isn't joining. (Source: Sky News - United Kingdom)
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Thursday 22 January 2026 10:35, UK  U.S. Trump walks on to the stage and rolling out his "Board of Peace" at the World Economic Forum in Davos, after an eventful 24 hours in which he unexpectedly U-turned on Greenland. (Source: Sky News - United Kingdom)
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(Tuesday), January 22, 2026 at 10:20 am  US President Trump said yesterday that Iran must not resume its nuclear program, warning that if it does, it could trigger military action, Anadolu reports. ’It’s a place that we hit very hard (last June)…ending the nuclear (program). They would have had a nuclear weapon long ago, actually already. They would have had a nuclear weapon probably a month after we hit, had we not hit. And we hit them hard, the B-2 bombers.’ ’So we’re going to find out where they are now, about what they’re going to do with nuclear. They can’t do the nuclear. The one thing I have been strong on, they can’t do the nuclear,” he said during an interview with CNBC in Davos, Switzerland. Trump also said that Iran had stopped killing protesters after he issued a warning last week about potential military action. Trump repeatedly threatened to hit hard if protesters were killed but later commended Tehran for canceling hundreds of scheduled executions. The president told CNBC that he hoped the US would not need to take any additional military action against Iran. “We hope there’s not going to be further action,” he said. (Source: Middle East Monitor - based in London, United Kingdom, financed by the State of Qatar)

Thursday 22 January 2026 10:03, UK, US  Speaking in Davos before heading to Moscow for talks with Putin, US special envoy Witkoff says negotiations to end the Ukraine war are down to just one issue. (Source: Sky News - United Kingdom)
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22/01/2026 - 10:58  Trump says he is moving toward a deal on Greenland following discussions with NATO chief Rutte. The US president had earlier declined to rule out the use of military force to acquire the territory from Denmark. (Source: France 24)
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22/01/2026 - 10:55, US  While in Davos, Trump is expected to elaborate on his newly proposed "board of peace," reportedly established to oversee the US-brokered ceasefire in Israel's conflict with Hamas. The initiative has invited participation from around 60 countries, including Russia and China. Some, like Israel, have already signed on. Critics are expressing concern that the board could be intended to supplant the United Nations. (Source: France 24)
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Thu 22 Jan 2026 at 07:33  The US president has launched a fresh attack on Nato and Europe. Trump hit out at Nato, claiming the US has “never gotten anything” from being part of the alliance. He also was claiming Europe was ’unrecognisable’ due to immigration – echoing a trope repeated by the European and American ’far-right’. Taking aim at Europe for ’unchecked mass migration’, Mr Trump claimed the continent is importing ’entirely different populations from far away lands’. He said: ’Certain places in Europe are not even recognisable, frankly, anymore. They’re not recognisable... And I love Europe, and I want to see Europe go good, but it’s not heading in the right direction.’ ’Between immigration and energy – if they don’t change, bad things will happen to them,’ he added. Trump doubled down on his demands for Greenland. He was arguing that a US takeover of Greenland is ’a very small ask’ compared with what his country has done for its fellow members. ’I'm helping Europe. I'm helping Nato, and until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland, they loved me. They called me daddy. Now what I’m asking for is a piece of ice, cold and poorly located, that can play a vital role in world peace and world protection, the US president said. He said he wanted immediate talks to discuss acquiring the Danish territory, but said that he will “not use force” to seize it. It comes after Sir Keir Starmer used his most hostile language yet to push back against the US president, saying he will not yield in his stance over Greenland as he vowed to stand up to Mr Trump over his threats to annexe it. I will not yield, Britain will not yield ’on our principles and values’ about the future of Greenland under threats of tariffs, and that is my clear position, he was telling MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) yesterday. The PM also hit out at the US president’s criticism of the UK’s deal to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. He was saying Mr Trump’s criticism “were different to his previous words of welcome and support when I met him in the White House”. Starmer said his change in stance – calling the deal an act of “great stupidity” – ’was made expressly to pressure him and Britain in relation to his ’values and principles’ on the future of Greenland. The PM repeated: “He wants me to yield on my position, and I'm not going to do so.” The US president said he was ’helping Europe, I’m helping Nato’ with his efforts to secure a Ukraine peace deal and urged his allies to change their opposition to a US takeover of Greenland. He continued: “It’s a very small ask compared to what we have given them for many, many decades. But the problem with Nato is that we’ll be there for them 100 per cent, but I’m not sure that they’d be there for us.” The US president reiterated his desire to establish a “Golden Dome” of missile defences – a system which Mr Trump ’proposes would have its outer edge in Greenland’. ’All we want from Denmark, for national and international security and to keep our very energetic and dangerous potential enemies at bay, is this land on which we're going to build the greatest golden dome ever built’, he said. Mr Trump said that the US was “the only country” that could secure the island that he claims is needed for US national security purposes. “Unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be frankly unstoppable. That is the biggest statement I’ve made. I don’t want to use force.” The US president has threatened to hit Britain and other European allies with 10% tariffs from 1 February unless they agree to his purchase of Greenland – a threat the prime minister has decried as completely wrong. Speaking in Davos following Mr Trump’s speech, Mr Farage said: ’He said Nato have never given us anything back. I would object to that politely by saying this: when the decision was made to go into Afghanistan, we went in with America and the coalition of the willing. ’We stayed by America for the whole 20 years, we proportionately spent the same money as America, we lost the same number of lives as America pro rata, and the same applies actually to Denmark and other countries too. “So it’s not quite fair. Yes, in money terms, America has provided more. In terms of surveillance equipment et cetera, America still provides more, but we have when it comes to honouring our commitments to America more than done our bit in terms of action over the last 20 years.” (Source: Belfast Telegraph - Northern Ireland, United Kingdom)

Thursday 22 January 2026 04:04 GMT, US  Addressing the World Economic Forum today, Trump continued to argue that the US needed to take ownership of Greenland to ensure national security. During the speech, he referred to Greenland as a big piece of ice. But at one point, Trump also repeatedly referred to the country of Iceland. “Our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland, so Iceland has already cost us a lot of money,” he said. “But that dip is peanuts compared to what it’s gone up.” 'Until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland, they loved me. They called me ‘Daddy’,' Trump said. He went on to continue to attack Nato for not being 'there for us on Iceland' despite 'all of the money we expend, with all of the blood, sweat and tears'. An estimated 10,000 Danes gathered at Copenhagen’s City Hall Square to push back against Trump’s threats, with many people in the crowd donning parody hats mimicking Trump’s signature, bright-red MAGA cap that instead read “Make America Go Away”. (Source: The Independent – United Kingdom)
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Asia

Syria
22/01/2026 - 11:01  US Central Command (Centcom) reported that 150 islamic state (is) ’fighters’ have already been moved from Hassakeh province to a ’secure location’ in Iraq. The US military has started transferring up to 7,000 is detainees from prisons in northeastern Syria to Iraq, as Syria’s new government asserts control over territories long governed autonomously by Kurdish-led forces.  (Source: France 24)
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North America

United States
Jan 22, 2026  The Arctic is an emerging theater of great-power competition where geography still matters. Denmark lacks the scale, resources and power-projection capacity ’to secure Greenland alone against sustained Russian or Chinese pressure’. It is an argument for American leadership. ’The case is simple: U.S. leadership in Greenland is strategically sound, increasingly urgent, and firmly rooted in American national security interests’. Denmark, to its credit, is a loyal ally. It suffered the highest per-capita killed-in-action rate of any NATO ally during the war in Afghanistan. Copenhagen has pledged to increase Arctic military spending „and recognizes the rising threat to the environment’. „Greenland’s leaders have also signaled openness to an expanded U.S. military presence’. Moscow has rebuilt Cold War-era bases, expanded Arctic military infrastructure, deployed advanced missile systems, and asserted control over polar shipping routes. The Arctic is becoming another front in China’s global campaign to convert economic leverage into strategic dominance. Beijing now absurdly labels itself a ’Near-Arctic State’ to justify its growing presence through research stations, infrastructure investments and political influence. Any serious strategy to secure the Arctic, deter adversaries and protect North America runs directly through Greenland. As hypersonic weapons compress decision timelines and expand polar attack vectors, Greenland’s strategic value increases. American radar installations and military assets there are essential for early warning against Russian and Chinese missile threats. U.S., Danish and Greenlandic interests are aligned. All three want the Arctic protected from adversarial influence. All three benefit from a stable, rules-based order rather than one shaped by Russian coercion or Chinese economic capture. And all three understand that only the United States has the capability to guarantee that outcome. Secretary of State Rubio has made it clear that the United States seeks to purchase Greenland through negotiation, not force. This is not imperial conquest. It is a strategic consolidation among allies in response to an evolving threat landscape. History shows that „peaceful territorial transfers’, when conducted transparently and with mutual benefit, can strengthen stability rather than undermine it. The economic stakes are rising as well. Melting sea ice has opened new shipping lanes, including the Northern Sea Route, shortening transit times of Arctic commerce between Europe and Asia. ’Control over Arctic access’ will shape global trade for decades. Greenland also possesses vast, largely untapped mineral reserves, including rare earths critical to advanced technology and military systems. The United States works to reduce dependence on Chinese-controlled supply chains. ’Securing access to these resources is no luxury. It is a strategic necessity’. Ignoring practical realities, opponents invoke sovereignty without security, which is an illusion. Left to its own, Greenland would face relentless pressure from adversarial powers seeking influence through investment, infrastructure and political leverage. Taking responsibility now - through a negotiated agreement that respects Denmark and the people of Greenland - would lock in Western control of the Arctic, ’strengthen NATO’s northern flank, and significantly enhance the defense of the United States’. President Trump is right to place Greenland at the center of America’s Arctic strategy. (Source: The Heritage Foundation - U.S.)
by McCarthy, a Senior Research Fellow for European Affairs in The Heritage Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom.

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Europe

France
January 21, 2026 at 10:02 am  Today, France has asked for a Nato exercise in Greenland and is ready to contribute to it: French President Macron’s office. (Source: TimesLIVE – South Africa)

European Parliament
Wed, Jan 21 2026 1:37 PM EST  European lawmakers today suspended the approval of the trade deal that the European Union and U.S. agreed in July. European Parliament member Lange, chair of European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) on EU-US trade relations, said the recent plans by President Trump to impose tariffs of between 10% and 25% on European nations was a breaking by President of the Scotland deal at Trump’s Turnberry golf resort last year. ’I guess he didn’t revise his position. He wants to have Greenland as part of the United States as quick as possible,’ Lange said. Trump ruled out the use of military force in his speech. “We will hold on the procedure ... until there is clarity regarding Greenland and the threats,” he said. Lange said Trump is using tariffs as an instrument of political pressure as a way to buy Greenland, and described the move as ’an attack against the economic and territorial sovereignty of the European Union.’ He added that INTA would on Monday discuss the use of the EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), which would allow the EU to substantially restrict U.S. companies’ access to its single market, block them from tenders, reduce the flow of goods and capital, and curb foreign direct investment in the bloc. Today, Nagel, Bundesbank President and a governing council member of the European Central Bank said the tariff dispute could maybe be a game changer for monetary policy in the euro zone, which he said was still on a good path. (Source: CNBC – U.S.)
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Greenland
21/01/2026 - 23:45  Greenland's government unveiled a new handbook today offering advice to the population in the event of a crisis in the territory. (Source: France 24)
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09:30 ET, 21 Jan 2026  In a video posted to TikTok that has been viewed more than 7 million times, two Greenland residents could be seen, who joked about introducing 'American culture' to the island by mimicking fentanyl addicts. Several clips showed the pair bent at the waist, slumped forward, in a rigid position with their head bowed while surrounded by heavy snow on the mineral-rich island that Trump has set his sights on. It was set to the song Fortunate Son by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. Tens of thousands of comments, including many from Americans were applauding the dark joke. One even asked: "Can you guys buy America please?" (Source: The Mirror US)

World Economic Forum,  Davos, Switzerland
January 21, 2026 8:05 AM.  Canada’s PM Carney speech: „We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition”. Today, I will talk about a rupture in the world order, the end of a pleasant fiction and the beginning of a harsh reality, where geopolitics, where the large, main power, geopolitics, is submitted to no limits, no constraints. On the other hand, I would like to tell you that the other countries, especially intermediate powers like Canada, are not powerless. They have the capacity to build a new order that encompasses our values, such as respect for human rights, sustainable development, solidarity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the various states. It seems that every day we’re reminded that we live in an era of great-power rivalry, that the rules-based order is fading, that the strong can do what they can, and the weak must suffer what they must. ’For decades, countries like Canada prospered under what we called the rules-based international order. We joined its institutions, we praised its principles, we benefited from its predictability. And because of that, we could pursue values-based foreign policies under its protection. We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false - that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient, that trade rules were enforced asymmetrically. And we knew that international law applied with varying rigor depending on the identity of the accused or the victim. This fiction was useful, and American hegemony, in particular, helped provide public goods, open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security, and support for frameworks for resolving disputes’. We participated in the rituals, and we largely avoided calling out the gaps between rhetoric and reality. This bargain no longer works. Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition. Over the past two decades, a series of crises in finance, health, energy, and geopolitics have laid bare the risks of extreme global integration. But more recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited - when integration becomes the source of your subordination. The multilateral institutions on which the middle powers have relied - the WTO [World Trade Organization], the U.N., the COP [the U.N. climate change conference] - the very architecture of collective problem-solving are under threat. As a result, many countries are drawing the same conclusions that they must develop greater strategic autonomy, in energy, food, critical minerals, in finance, and supply chains. When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself. Allies will diversify to hedge against uncertainty. They’ll buy insurance, increase options in order to rebuild sovereignty - sovereignty that was once grounded in rules, but will increasingly be anchored in the ability to withstand pressure. This is classic risk management, which comes at a price, but that cost of strategic autonomy, of sovereignty, can also be shared. Collective investments in resilience are cheaper than everyone building their own fortresses. Shared standards reduce fragmentations. The question is whether we adapt by simply building higher walls, or whether we can do something more ambitious. Canadians know that our old comfortable assumptions that our geography and alliance memberships automatically conferred prosperity and security - that assumption is no longer valid. ’We aim to be both principled and pragmatic - principled in our commitment to fundamental values: sovereignty; territorial integrity; the prohibition of the use of force, except when consistent with the UN Charter; and respect for human rights, and pragmatic in recognizing that progress is often incremental, that interests diverge, that not every partner will share all of our values’. ’And we are no longer just relying on the strength of our values, but also the value of our strength’. We are building that strength at home. We have cut taxes on incomes, on capital gains and business investment. We have removed all federal barriers to interprovincial trade. We are fast-tracking a trillion dollars of investments in energy, AI [artificial intelligence], critical minerals, new trade corridors, and beyond. We’re doubling our defense spending by the end of this decade, and we’re doing so in ways that build our domestic industries. We have agreed a comprehensive strategic partnership with the EU, including joining SAFE [Security Action for Europe], the European defense procurement arrangements. We have signed 12 other trade and security deals on four continents in six months. The past few days, we’ve concluded new strategic partnerships with China and Qatar. We’re negotiating free trade pacts with India, ASEAN [the Association of Southeast Asian Nations], Thailand, Philippines, and Mercosur. To help solve global problems, we’re pursuing variable geometry - in other words, different coalitions for different issues based on common values and interests. So, on Ukraine, we’re a core member of the Coalition of the Willing and one of the largest per capita contributors to its defense and security. On Arctic sovereignty, we stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark and fully support their unique right to determine Greenland’s future. Our commitment to NATO’s Article 5 is unwavering. We’re working with our NATO allies, including the Nordic Baltic Gate, to further secure the alliance’s northern and western flanks, including through Canada’s unprecedented investments in over-the-horizon radar, in submarines, in aircraft, and boots on the ground, boots on the ice. Canada strongly opposes tariffs over Greenland. We’re championing efforts to build a bridge between the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the European Union, which would create a new trading bloc of 1.5 billion people. On critical minerals, we’re forming buyers’ clubs anchored in the G-7. On AI, we’re cooperating with like-minded democracies to ensure that we won’t ultimately be forced to choose between hegemons and hyper-scalers. It’s building coalitions that work, creating a dense web of connections across trade, investment, culture. In a world of great-power rivalry, the countries in between have a choice - compete with each other for favor, or combine to create a third path with impact. The middle powers must act together, because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu. (Source: Foreign Policy – U.S.)

January 21, 2026 4:00pm EST  U.S. President Trump unloads on Biden policies from Davos. Trump is in Switzerland today and tomorrow for the annual World Economic Forum. He threatens to impose tariffs on a handful of European nations in an effort for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, heightening tensions at the forum. Trump blasted his predecessor's policies at the Forum in a warning to foreign leaders to buck old political playbooks and rally around the U.S. He was highlighting how his administration overturned Biden's left-wing policies as they relate to energy and the economy and immigration to strengthen the U.S. ’It became conventional wisdom in Washington and European capitals that the only way to grow a modern Western economy was through ever-increasing government spending, unchecked mass migration, and endless foreign imports," Trump said. 'The consensus was that so-called dirty jobs and heavy industries should be sent elsewhere, that affordable energy should be replaced by the Green New scam, and that countries could be propped up by importing new and entirely different populations from faraway lands.’ ’This was the path that Sleepy Biden's administration and many other Western governments very foolishly followed’, turning their backs on everything that makes nations rich and powerful and strong, he added. Trump also scolded European leaders for transforming the continent into one he no longer recognizes, calling on them to set itself on the right direction. "And I love Europe and I want to see Europe go good, but it's not heading in the right direction," he said. (Source: Fox News – U.S.)
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21/01/2026 - 21:49  U.S.. Trump cancelled his tariff threat on several European nations after coming to terms on a “framework of a future deal” on Arctic security. NATO chief Rutte may 'have just explained to Trump the existing rights that the US has in Greenland and sold this to Trump as something new'. (Source: France 24)

Wednesday 21 January 2026 at 8:36pm  U.S.. Points from Trump's Davos speech. He has said he would not use force to acquire Greenland. ’We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable,’ Trump said. “But I won’t do that." ’I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,” Trump added. Speaking for more than an hour, Trump criticised European leaders and celebrated America's finances and living standards, which he said were achieved against expectations. He reiterated his demands for control of Greenland and called for immediate negotiations with European allies. For the first time, the US president said he would not use force to acquire Greenland. Trump also repeated that the US returned Greenland to Denmark after the Second World War. The US did set up military bases in Greenland via a wartime security agreement with Denmark during the Second World War. It didn’t confer any actual ownership. Trump questioned Nato's commitment to the US, saying: ’We give so much, and we get so little in return." "They don't appreciate what we do. Talking about Nato, I'm talking about Europe." Trump argued that US control of Greenland ’would greatly enhance the security of the entire alliance, the NATO alliance.’ European leaders have largely criticised Trump's plan to introduce a 10% tariff on any and all goods sent from eight EU countries to the US from February 1. This is set to increase to 25% from June 1 until a deal is reached. The EU is considering a package of retaliatory tariffs worth around £80 billion in response to Trump's plans. Trump who has repeatedly denounced what he calls the green energy ’scam’, used his speech to criticise Starmer’s policies on North Sea oil and gas. He said the UK Government had made it “impossible” for oil firms to exploit North Sea reserves. "The United Kingdom produces just one-third of the total energy from all sources that it did in 1999," he said. „And they're sitting on top of the North Sea, one of the greatest reserves anywhere in the world, but they don't use it’. Trump also criticised the UK and Europe's use of wind farms, claiming that China profits from selling wind turbines, which he stated were for ’stupid people.’(Source: ITV – United Kingdom)
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January 21, 2026 8:05 AM  U.S. ‘A Rupture in the World Order’. "The world leaders, gathered for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week are facing a stark and disorienting reality: The United States under President Trump is no longer a reliable or predictable ally. From wielding economy-upending tariffs like a cudgel against nearly every country in the world, to using the U.S. military to overthrow the leader of a sovereign country without bothering to seek authorization at home or abroad, to threatening to seize the territory of some of the United States’ closest friends and allies, Trump has brazenly discarded the old rule book to pursue what he has called an “America First” agenda". In a speech at Davos yesterday Carney of Canada 'laid out his vision for how to push back against Trump’s chaos'. (Source: Foreign Policy – U.S.)
By Williams, a deputy editor at Foreign Policy

Jan 21, 2026 - 20:51  US President Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform: We have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region, US. He made the turnaround after talks with NATO Secretary-General Rutte. Trump offered few details. He backed down both on threats to seize the island by force from Denmark and on imposing tariffs against European allies. “It’s a deal that people jumped at, really fantastic for the USA, gets everything we wanted.’ The deal will be in force forever, he later told reporters. (Source: Euractiv – Brussels, Belgium)

21/01/2026 - 20:27  U.S. President Trump insisted he wants to get Greenland, including right, title and ownership, but he wouldn’t employ force to achieve that. Trump was using his speech to vow that NATO shouldn’t stand in the way of U.S. expansionism. (Source: France 24)
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January 21, 2026, 12:32 PM  United States’ Trump follows Greenland threats by announcing a “future deal.” After reading out a long speech from a teleprompter that listed out various domestic accomplishments without once mentioning his recent threats against Denmark, U.S. President Trump, ever the showman, realized what the hundreds of diplomats, world leaders, and businesspeople had gathered in the room to hear. “Would you like me to say a few words of Greenland?” he asked. “I’m seeking immediate negotiations to discuss the acquisition of Greenland,’ he announced, even as he admitted he didn’t plan to use force. ’All we’re asking for in Greenland is right, title, and ownership. … You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative. You can say no, and we will remember.” Hours later: Truth Social: Trump announced a “future deal with respect to Greenland” but held back on details, except to say the expected Feb. 1 tariffs would no longer be imposed. For all the summit’s carefully crafted sessions on topics such as AI, the economy, and critical minerals, the U.S. president had turned into a real, live, international crisis. Over the weekend, he announced tariffs on Denmark and seven other European countries for not supporting his bid to take over Greenland. He was now deploying economic warfare to pressure Europe to give in. Commerce Secretary Lutnick, a parade of other cabinet members and Trump delegates spoke on TV and on stage ahead of the president’s arrival today without saying anything about what the White House’s plan actually was. Today at 2:30 p.m. local time, thousands of Davos delegates filed in a darkened room, into the main Congress Hall - and several overflow rooms - to hear Trump live and in person. Trump is shown standing at a lectern on a large screen. After more than 30 minutes of scripted remarks, finally came Trump’s comments on Europe, which were pockmarked with misinformation. The United States was virtually paying for 100 percent of NATO, he said. “What we’ve gotten from NATO is nothing’. ’I know we’ll be there for them. I don’t know if they’ll be there for us.” Trump didn’t care for history - unless he could twist it to serve his purpose. He cited instead the end of World War II and described how the United States saved Europe - and Greenland - from the Axis powers, ignoring the contributions of other great powers, including the Soviet Union, China, and an array of then-colonized countries. ’We literally set up bases on Greenland for Denmark. How stupid were we to give Greenland back. How ungrateful are they now!’ Trump said. Trump, already playing bully, has his eyes on the leaders who are meeting his threats with tough words. “Emmanuel, I watched your speech,’ he said disapprovingly, remarking to France’s president Macron, who yesterday had reiterated the importance of sovereignty. He was sterner still with the other speaking star of the week. “Canada … I watched your prime minister,” Trump said referring to Carney. “The next time you speak, Mark, watch yourself.’ Trump ’was rambling and bullying of his country’s closest allies, heralding an era of jungle law’, where the biggest power can have its way with smaller economies. The U.S. president seems to only just be discovering the extent of American power. In sharp contrast lies Carney’s exposition of the dangers of a world where might makes right. Carney pointed to how international order, based on rules needed nurturing and not destroying - order, ’that encompasses our values, such as respect for human rights, sustainable development, solidarity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.’ The powerful have their power. But we have something, too - the capacity to stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home, and to act together. This is Canada’s path, he added. Carney’s speech came on the heels of a closely watched visit to China, a relationship that he described as recalibrating just one year after calling Beijing the biggest security threat facing Ottawa. (Source: Foreign Policy – U.S.)
By Agrawal, the editor in chief of Foreign Policy.

Jan. 21, 2026  US President Trump participates in a Reception with Business Leaders (Source: YouTube / The White House = U.S.)
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Jan. 21, 2026  US President Trump delivers a Special Address to the World Economic Forum. (Source: YouTube / The White House = U.S.)
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United States
January 21, 2026 at 10:15 am  In Davos US President Trump is expected to escalate his push for acquiring Greenland  Trump marked the end of his turbulent first year in office yesterday. He expected to overshadow the gathering used by global elite to discuss economic trends. (Source: TimesLIVE – South Africa)

January 21, 2026 03:49  As a future home for the golden dome missile defense system - President Trump’s efforts to have to U.S. take control of Greenland for national security reasons, (Source: Fox News – U.S.)
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January 21, 2026 3:02 AM  If anything were to happen to him wipe the Iranian regime ’off the face of this Earth’: U.S. President Trump. (Source: Miami Herald / Newsweek = U.S.)

January 21, 2026 7:41am  Year 1917: the US recognise the sovereignty of Denmark over Greenland. In 1917, the US paid some $25,000,000 for the US Virgin Islands, which were previously owned by Denmark. Part of the deal saw the US agree to recognise the sovereignty of Denmark over Greenland. Under a little-known Cold War agreement, the US built the military base Thule Air Base in a remote corner of Greenland. (Source: Metro – United Kingdom)

Tuesday 20 January 2026 at 11:01pm  Trump spoke on his relationship with Europe as he celebrated his first year in power. (Source: ITV – United Kingdom)
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Globalization

World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday 21 January 2026 07:42 GMT  Strong concerns over the Greenland crisis and escalating global trade tensions. The gathering comes as Trump continues to advocate for the acquisition of Greenland and the imposition of related trade tariffs.       European leaders issued stark warnings.    Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever expressed profound concern over Trump’s Greenland provocations, stating that so many red lines have been crossed in Europe. He warned against complacency, declaring: "Being a happy vassal is one thing. Being a miserable slave is something else. If you back down now you’re going to lose your dignity.’ De Wever confirmed that he and Belgium’s King Philippe would meet with Trump to advocate for a return to the traditional military alliance between Brussels and Washington. He cautioned: ’We either stand together or we will stand divided, and if we are divided, there is the end of an era, of 80 years of Atlanticism, really drawing to a close." Quoting Italian philosopher Gramsci, De Wever suggested that in this period of significant transformation, it is up to Trump to decide the fate of the alliance: "It’s up to him (Trump) to decide if he wants to be a monster - yes or no.’ He accused Trump of not behaving like an ally, adding: “My feeling is that the sweet-talking is over. You reach the point where sweet-talking and sweet-talking is counterproductive. It only encourages them to go a step further – it’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar.’ De Wever referred to a famed children’s picture book by Carle about an insect that eats too much food.    French President Macron, sporting aviator sunglasses, cautioned against ’a new colonial approach’ that he argued would dismantle decades of international cooperation. He warned major powers against the allure of modern colonial ambitions. Macron declared: ’It’s a shift towards a world without rules. Where international law is trampled underfoot and where the only law that seems to matter is that of the strongest, and imperial ambitions are resurfacing.’ He then directly criticised the Trump administration, denouncing ’competition from the United States of America, through trade agreements that undermine our export interests, demand maximum concessions, and openly aim to weaken and subordinate Europe, combined with an endless accumulation of new tariffs that are fundamentally unacceptable, even more so when they are used as leverage against territorial sovereignty.'    European Commission President der Leyen criticised the proposed additional tariffs as ’a mistake, especially between long-standing allies,’ reminding attendees that the European Union and the United States have agreed to a trade deal last July. It is time to seize this opportunity and build a new independent Europe, she asserted. Plunging us into a downward spiral would only aid the very adversaries we are both so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape, she concluded.      Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney took part in an event tilted ‘Country Strategy Dialogue: Canada’. The former central banker highlighted the vulnerability of smaller nations in the face of powerful states. Carney urged nations outside the top tier of global power to maintain multilateral cooperation, to combine to create a third path with impact through a new, dense web of connections. He firmly opposed US aspirations in the Arctic, stating: "We stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark and fully support their unique right to determine Greenland’s future." Carney received standing ovation after warning of global rupture amid Trump tensions.      California Governor Newsom delivered expletive-laden rebukes as discussions were dominated by the Greenland crisis. In the forum’s entrance hall, he was particularly ’outspoken’, telling European leaders: ’It’s time to get serious and stop being complicit. It’s time to stand tall and firm – have a backbone." ’I should’ve brought a bunch of knee pads for all the world leaders" the Democrat was stating. ’Stop with this (expletive) diplomacy of sort of niceties and somehow we’re all going to figure it out, saying one thing privately and another publicly. Have some spine, some goddamn (expletive).’ ’I hope people understand how pathetic they look on the world stage. I mean, at least from an American perspective, it’s embarrassing,' he added.    With Trump scheduled to address the forum later in the week,    Treasury secretary Bessent sought to defend the administration’s stance. He downplayed the growing rift among Western nations over Greenland. ’I think our relations have never been closer, ’ Bessent was asserting and urged attendees to ’calm down the hysteria.’ He added: ’We are in the middle of President Trump’s policies. And of course, Europe is an ally, the U.S.-NATO membership is unquestioned. We are partners in trying to stop this tragic war between Russia and Ukraine, but that does not mean that we cannot have disagreements on the future of Greenland.’ (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

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Canada
(January 20, 2026)  Risk environment. The first time in a century the Canadian Armed Forces have created a model of a hypothetical U.S. military invasion of Canada, a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and a partner with the U.S. in continental air defence. The military models Canadian potential response which includes insurgency tactics, two senior government officials say. They said military planners are modelling a U.S. invasion from the south, expecting American forces to overcome Canada’s strategic positions on land and at sea within a week and possibly as quickly as two days. Canada does not have the number of military personnel or the sophisticated equipment needed to fend off a conventional American attack, they said. Canadian troops would engage in unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military or armed civilians would resort to ambushes, sabotage, drone warfare. One of the officials said the model includes tactics used by the Afghan mujahedeen in their hit-and-run attacks on Russian soldiers during the 1979-1989 Soviet-Afghan War. These were the same tactics employed by the Taliban in their 20-year war against the U.S. and allied forces that included Canada. Many of the 158 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014 were struck by improvised explosive devices or IEDs. ’The aim of such tactics would be to impose mass casualties on U.S. occupying forces’, the official said. Retired Major-General Fraser, who commanded Canadian troops in Afghanistan alongside the United States, said Canada could use drones and tank-killing weapons to disrupt an invasion, like the Ukrainians used against the Russians to blunt their invasion in February, 2022. Mr. Fraser said it is unthinkable that Canadian planners have had to draw up a U.S. invasion scenario. Whatever Mr. Trump does with Greenland and possibly Mexico would weigh into any Canadian scenario, he said. But Canada can count on support from European countries, Britain, Japan, South Korea and other democratic nations. People do care about what happens to Canada, unlike Venezuela, Mr. Fraser said. ’You could actually see German ships and British planes in Canada to reinforce the country’s sovereignty.’ Mr. Fraser said Canada should immediately place more military assets in the North to claim its right to the region. If the threat from the U.S. became serious, he said Canadian soldiers would be placed along the border even though there is no realistic possibility that Canada could defeat the U.S. militarily. Insurgency tactics would be the best way to deal with U.S. invading forces, he said. You do not walk across that border because everybody is your enemy then, Mr. Fraser added. Retired lieutenant-general Day, who headed Canadian Special Forces Command and served as chief strategic planner for the future of the Canadian Armed Forces, said it was fanciful to think the Americans would actually invade Canada. But he acknowledged Canada’s armed forces could not stand up to the world’s biggest and most sophisticated military. He said, however, that the U.S. would have great difficulty occupying a country the size of Canada. “Notwithstanding the size of the American military, however, they do not have the force structure to occupy, let alone control every major urban centre in Canada.” Their only hope would be a Russian-like drive to Kyiv and hope that works and the rest of country capitulates once they seize the seat of power in Ottawa, he added. ’Like Ukraine, it would inconceivable to me that we would give up if they seized our capital.” It’s crucial for Canada to significantly build up its defence capabilities, Piché, executive director of the Conference of Defence Associations, said She did not see a situation where the U.S. would attack Canada. But she also said: “Clear signalling to our neighbour to the south that we want and we’re willing and able to rapidly be a credible ally that is capable of defending itself, ensuring our own national security, our national defence, will play a deterrence role towards a potential willingness by the United States to control some of Canada or to invade a portion of Canada”. A military model is a conceptual and theoretical framework, not a military plan, which is an actionable and step-by-step directive for executing operations. The modelling provides the keenest insight yet as to the level of threat assessment now being actively discussed by Canada with respect to the Trump administration. Military planners envision an American attack’s first indications - that invasion orders had been sent - would be expected to come from U.S. military warnings that Canada no longer has a shared skies policy with the United States. That would follow clear signs from the U.S. military that the two countries’ partnership in NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defence Command, was ending, and the U.S. was under new orders to take Canada by force. This rupture in the joint defence agreement 'would likely see France or Britain, nuclear-weapon states, being called on to provide support and defence' for Canada against the U.S. A senior Defence Department official said Canada would have a maximum of three months to prepare for a land and sea invasion. The scenarios are conceptual, officials and experts stress a U.S. operation is unlikely. One of the officials noted, that relations with the U.S. military remain positive and the two countries are working together on Canada’s participation in a new continental defence system, or “Golden Dome,” to defend against Russian or Chinese missiles. The military has also run models on missile strikes from Russia or China on Canadian cities and critical infrastructure. Conscription has been ruled out for now, but the level of sacrifice that would be asked of Canadians remains a central topic, the officials said. General Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff, has already announced her intention to create a 400,000-plus-strong reserve force of volunteers. The officials said they could be armed or asked to provide disruptions if the U.S. becomes an occupying power. University of Toronto political scientist Ahmad said Canada needs to drastically boost its homeland defence capabilities, regardless of the potential U.S. threat to the border. U.S. generals would be aware that Canadians would fight back against an invasion, using whatever tactics would be the most effective, she said. Prime Minister Mark Carney says he’s concerned about the U.S. escalation over the future of Greenland and its sovereignty as President Trump threatens tariffs. Canada is considering sending a small contingent of troops to Greenland to join a group of eight European countries that are holding military exercises as a show of solidarity for Denmark, of which the self-ruling island is a territory. U.S. President Trump has been challenging NATO allies with repeated calls for the U.S. to acquire Greenland and threats to impose tariffs on European countries who oppose the takeover. Those threats escalated after his attack on Venezuela and capture of President Maduro earlier this month. Bannon, the former Trump chief strategist who remains close to the President, said Canada is rapidly changing and becoming hostile to the United States. Mr. Trump has repeatedly mused about Canada becoming the 51st state. On the weekend, NBC reported Mr. Trump has been increasingly complaining to aides in recent weeks about Canada’s vulnerability to U.S. adversaries in the Arctic. (Source: The Globe and Mail - Canada)

United States
(Tuesday), January 20, 2026 5:36pm EST  Trump has suggested his proposed "Board of Peace" in Gaza could replace the U.N., underscoring what one national security analyst has described as a revision of the existing international order. Asked today whether he envisioned the new body supplanting the U.N., Trump replied, "It might." ’The UN just hasn’t been very helpful. I’m a big fan of the UN, but it has never lived up to its potential,’ the president said, speaking at a White House press conference. While arguing the U.N. should continue to exist, he added, ’The UN should have settled every one of the wars that I settled." The proposal already signaled a break with the international order that has defined global politics for decades. The norms, international institutions and organizations and liberalism are out, and real politics, interests and power are in, Prof. Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told, before adding that the EU is much less important. Michael's comments come as the Trump administration moved forward with plans for the board, an initiative officials say extends far beyond the immediate conflict in the Gaza Strip. In a statement Jan. 16, the White House said, in alignment with the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, the "Board of Peace will play an essential role in fulfilling all 20 points of the President’s plan, providing strategic oversight, mobilizing international resources, and ensuring accountability as Gaza transitions from conflict to peace and development." Preparations are said to be underway for a signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland. "Dozens" of countries were invited, officials confirmed, with formal invitations sent Friday. Trump extended invitations to leaders from Russia, Argentina, Belarus, Canada, China, Egypt, Hungary, India, Jordan, Ukraine, and Vietnam, among others. The White House said Trump will chair the Board of Peace and be joined by senior political, diplomatic and business figures, including Kushner, billionaire Rowan, Secretary of State Rubio, U.S. special envoy Witkoff. According to Michael, the initiative reflects a new approach to the international system. We are talking about something which is much bigger than the Gaza Strip, he said, before describing a revisionist approach of President Trump regarding the existing international order, „where the board is a tool in his vision of changing the existing international order." Michael said Iran sits at the center of that calculation, as protests engulfed the country amid economic and political pressure. Iran is the real game changer, and we are in front of a very significant and dramatic change, well coordinated with Prime Minister Netanyahu, he said. Michael suggested Moscow’s participation would come with conditions. "The president invited Putin to join the board basing an understanding with him about division of power and influence, promising him to relieve sanctions and cut a deal." Still, alliances are out, whereas allies and regional structures are in, Michael added. (Source: Fox News - U.S.)

Tuesday 20 January 2026 16:46 EST  In a messaged leaked this week, Trump reportedly told Norway’s prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre the quest for Greenland was tied directly to the president’s long-running claim he deserves a Nobel. “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America,' Trump reportedly wrote. 'The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland,' he reportedly added. An independent committee awards the prize, and it was won in October by Venezuelan opposition leader Machado, who gave the prize to Trump during a White House visit this month. The Nobel Committee has reiterated that the gesture did not alter who should be considered the 2025 honoree. Treasury Secretary Bessent today said there was no connection between Trump’s quest for a Nobel Prize and his campaign to take over Greenland, even though the president himself linked the two in a message to his Norwegian counterpart. 'I think it’s a complete canard that there’s any kind of equivalence with the Nobel Prize,” Bessent told from the World Economic Forum in Davos. The U.S. pursuit of Greenland is because it is strategically important in defense terms, he said. During his CNBC interview, Bessent sought to tamp down on larger speculation that Trump is harming the U.S. reputation as a reliable financial and diplomatic partner to the point that Europeans might sell their U.S. assets. Bessent said such suggestions were media hysterics and called on peer countries not to escalate. (Source: Independent - United Kingdom)

January 20, 2026 at 01:43 pm  Trump has posted a private message from France’s leader. Macron has taken a harder line than most EU leaders in his response to Trump’s Greenland threat, pushing the bloc to activate its most potent trade tools against the US and sending French troops to Greenland in support of Denmark. Trump has also taken offence at France’s reluctance to join a proposed Board of Peace, a new organisation that he would lead. Paris has voiced concern over its impact on the role of the UN. When asked about Macron’s stance on the Board of Peace, Trump said: “Did he say that?  Well, nobody wants him because he will be out of office very soon.” ’I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he’ll join, but he doesn’t have to join,” Trump said. A few hours later, early today, Trump published on his Truth Social account a screenshot of an exchange with Macron. In the exchange, which a source close to Macron said was authentic, Macron told Trump, ’I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland,’ and offered to host a G7 meeting, inviting Russia and others. Macron, addressing Trump as his friend, also said he was totally in line with Trump on Syria and that they could do great things on Iran. Neither Trump nor the French source disclosed the date of the messages. People close to Macron said he was being singled out by Trump because he was standing up for ’democratic principles’. At the weekend, a source close to Macron said he was pushing for the activation of the Anti-Coercion Instrument, a strong EU trade power that could limit access to public tenders or restrict trade in services, a sector in which the US has a surplus with the bloc. Europeans are also weighing their own 93 billion euro tariff riposte to retaliate against the US threat of tariff hikes over Greenland. (Source: TimesLIVE – South Africa / Reuters - United Kingdom)

Jan 20, 2026 17:45 IST  US President Trump today shared an AI-generated map of the United States that showed Canada, Greenland and Venezuela as part of American territory. In the picture, posted on Trump's Truth Social platform, Trump is shown holding a meeting with leaders in the Oval Office, with the altered map displayed prominently in the background. Leaders visible in the photo include French President Macron, Italian Prime Minister Meloni, UK Prime Minister Starmer, European Commission President der Leyen and Nato Secretary-General Rutte, among others. Trump has previously floated the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state of the US. In a separate post, Trump shared another AI-generated image depicting himself alongside Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio planting a US flag on a landmass labelled, Greenland, US territory, Est. 2026. On Truth Social, the US President also posted a picture on his own Wikipedia page, which mentioned him as the Acting President of Venezuela. The North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) has said the US will deploy aircraft to Greenland’s Pituffik Space Base as part of long-planned operations stressing that the move was coordinated with Denmark and that Greenland’s authorities were informed in advance. (Source: India Today)
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(Tuesday), Jan 20, 2026 1:10 PM CET  Trump is due to deliver a speech at the 2026 World Economic Forum at Davos-Klosters tomorrow. After yesterday saw several world leaders denounce the President’s threat to tariff European allies until Denmark agrees to sell the island to the U.S., Trump said he had shared a very good call with NATO chief Rutte and unveiled plans for an upcoming meeting to discuss the escalating row. “I agreed to a meeting of the various parties in Davos, Switzerland. As I expressed to everyone, very plainly, Greenland is imperative for national and world security. There can be no going back - on that, everyone agrees,’ claimed Trump, adding that the U.S. is the ’only power that can ensure peace throughout the world - and it is done, quite simply, through strength.’ Greenland and Denmark have both repeatedly said that the Arctic island is not for sale. The White House has refused to rule out using military force to annex the territory. Several European countries last week, amid an effort from NATO allies to bolster the security of the island, committed to sending troops to Greenland for military exercises. Trump’s use of economic pressure prompted outrage among not only European leaders but also some lawmakers within the President’s own Republican Party, who labeled the tariffs unnecessary, punitive, and a profound mistake. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered a rare, public rebuke of Trump’s actions during a filmed address at Downing Street yesterday morning. Starmer said the President’s tariffs threat was completely wrong. Such moves are not the right way to resolve differences within an alliance, nor is it helpful to frame efforts to strengthen Greenland’s security as a justification for economic pressure, he argued. Trump - during his overnight social media blitz - lambasted one of the U.K.’s current geopolitical moves. He used it as a touchstone to emphasize his Greenland argument - he labeled the U.K.'s plan to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius an act of great stupidity. The U.K. acquired the islands for around £3m ($4m) in 1968, but Mauritius leadership argued it was illegally forced to give away the land in order to get independence from Britain. Per the new deal, which was signed last year, the U.K. will lease back a key military base. (Diego Garcia of the Chagos Islands - currently home to a strategic U.K.-U.S. military base.) There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness. These are international powers who only recognize strength, said Trump, adding that the action from the U.K. is another in a very long line of national security reasons why Greenland ’has to be acquired’. Denmark and its European allies ’have to do the right thing”. In response to Trump’s remarks, a U.K. government official told: The deal “has been publicly welcomed by the U.S., Australia, and all other Five Eyes allies, as well as key international partners including India, Japan, and South Korea.’ Shortly after Trump’s online remarks, U.S. Speaker of the House Johnson addressed the U.K. Parliament today morning in honor of America’s Semiquincentennial celebration. Standing next to U.K. Commons Speaker Sir Hoyle, Johnson acknowledged the politically-charged backdrop of his visit and expressed his hope to help to calm the waters. ’We've always been able to work through our differences, calmly as friends. We will continue to do that. I want to assure you this morning that that is still the case,’ Johnson told British lawmakers. (Source: Time – U.S.)

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Asia

Azerbaijan
11:10, 21/01/2026, Wednesday  Azerbaijan has accepted an invitation to become a founding member of the U.S.-proposed "Board of Peace" focused on Gaza, pledging to contribute to international stability. This marks a significant diplomatic engagement for the South Caucasus nation in a major Middle Eastern issue. The White House announced the creation of the Board of Peace last Friday as part of a broader structure to manage Gaza's transitional phase, which includes a separate National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. The board's establishment coincided with the launch of the second phase of a ceasefire agreement that halted hostilities in Gaza after a conflict that resulted in extensive casualties since October 2023. The initiative is based on a 20-point plan proposed by U.S. President Trump and subsequently adopted by the UN Security Council in November 2025 under Resolution 2803. Azerbaijan's acceptance signals its strategic alignment with the U.S. on this specific initiative 'and its desire to expand its role as an international mediator'. As a Muslim-majority country and a close partner of Türkiye, Baku's participation could be viewed as an effort to lend regional legitimacy to the U.S.-led framework. The effectiveness and inclusivity of the board, particularly regarding Palestinian representation, remain key questions that will determine its broader acceptance in the Islamic world and beyond. (Source: Yeni Şafak - Turkey)

China
January 20, 2026 6:44 AM ET  Ten years ago, China abolished its policy limiting each family to one child in an effort to improve the birth rate. It's now paying families to have more kids. But reversing the trend is an uphill battle - China saw its birth rate last year drop to the lowest level since the communists took power in 1949. China now has about 1.4 billion people. There were 7.9 million births last year and 11.3 million deaths, meaning a natural population growth rate of -2.4 per thousand people, according to official statistics. Last year China ended tax exemptions for condoms and other birth control methods. The government announced subsidies of about $500 a year for every child under the age of 3. Japan has paid far bigger subsidies but has still not reversed its declining birth rate. And Japan did not have a one-child policy, which lives on in people's views and behavior a decade after China scrapped it. China's one-child policy changed two or three generations of people's attitudes towards childbirth. After decades of limiting births, sometimes through forced sterilizations and abortions everyone now assumes that having only one child is a social norm. (Source: NPR - U.S.)

Iran
January 21, 2026, 7:48 PM  Is it the final battle? Millions of Iranians poured into the streets across all of Iran’s 31 provinces after a call to action by Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last monarch. The chants Javid Shah (Long live the King) and This is the final battle, Pahlavi will return echoed through city squares and residential neighbourhoods, reverberating far beyond Iran’s borders, amplified by a vast diaspora. What the world is witnessing is the culmination of the protests in 2017 and 2019 and the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising. The regime insists its enemies are foreign. In reality, its undoing, like always, is internal: misplaced priorities, chronic mismanagement, systemic corruption, suffocating repression and a fatal inability to recognise Iran’s national interest. Unlike in the past, when poverty was closely associated with unemployment, most of Iran’s poor today are employed. 89 per cent of households living below the poverty line have at least one employed member. Revolutionary fervour has morphed into contempt, even among former loyalists. President Pezeshkian presides over an empty treasury and a nation in free fall, while supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s state clings to survival through censorship, mass executions and denial. By January 5, after reports of mass killings by security forces, Mr Pahlavi issued his first public call for nationwide mobilisation. The response was immediate, vast and organised. It swiftly expanded to well-off neighbourhoods and industrial centres. This grey sector of Iranian society had remained silent during the previous uprisings, despite their grievances. Their presence this time directly challenged the Islamic Republic’s legitimacy. The government forces responded lethally. They confronted unarmed citizens with AK-47s, drones, tanks, assault rifles and sweeping communication blackouts. They even reportedly abducted wounded protesters from hospitals and executed them with close-range gunshots to the forehead. ’They killed more than 16,500 protesters and injured 330,000 in 48 hours, according to a report from medical teams working inside Iran obtained by the Sunday Times’. Most of the victims were said to be under 30. For the first time since 1979, Iranians are not rising up against the Islamic Republic in a leadership vacuum. The revolt has a recognised opposition figure supported by a professional nucleus of legal scholars, technocrats, economists, civil society organisers and a highly skilled diaspora network that has been ’deeply engaged in Iranian affairs since 2022’. Crucially, Mr Pahlavi insists that his campaign is not about restoring the monarchy. It is about liberating Iran from ’foreign occupation wearing clerical robes’. He has repeatedly emphasised that Iran’s ultimate governing structure would be chosen only after the collapse of the current establishment and a period of transition, through a national referendum and a constitutional process conducted under international observation. Protesters have abandoned the streets for rooftops, chanting Death to the dictator. Videos from Tehran’s Heravi district show that defiance has not disappeared. Their compatriots are taking to the streets in record numbers in cities from Africa to Europe and North America, asking for a united global action to stop the slaughter and atrocities continuing under the shroud of the internet blackout. The grievances that ignited this revolt remain unresolved, and history suggests they will return with greater force. A national will is asserting itself in Iran and among the diaspora. ’The old social contract, obedience in exchange for stability, has collapsed’. (Source: The National – United Arab Emirates)
by Ansari, a British-Iranian journalist and editor

January 21, 2026, 6:16 AM  Iran's foreign minister Araghchi today issued warning against the United States: the Islamic Republic will be ’firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack.’ Araghchi made the threat in an opinion article published by The Wall Street Journal. ’Unlike the restraint Iran showed in June 2025, our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack,’ Araghchi wrote, referring to the 12-day war launched by Israel on Iran in June. “This isn’t a threat, but a reality I feel I need to convey explicitly, because as a diplomat and a veteran, I abhor war.” He added: ’An all-out confrontation will certainly be ferocious and drag on far, far longer than the fantasy timelines that Israel and its proxies are trying to peddle to the White House. It will certainly engulf the wider region and have an impact on ordinary people around the globe.’ Araghchi's comments likely refer to Iran's short- and medium-range missiles. The Islamic Republic relied on ballistic missiles to target Israel in the war and left its stockpile of the shorter-range missiles unused, something that could be fired to target American bases and interests in the Persian Gulf. The comments by Araghchi come as an American aircraft carrier group moves westward toward the Middle East from Asia. The USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been in the South China Sea in recent days, had passed through the Strait of Malacca, a key waterway connecting the South China Sea and Indian Ocean, by yesterday. The aircraft carrier and three accompanying destroyers were heading west. The carrier strike group is only days away from moving into the region. American fighter jets and other equipment appears to be moving in the Mideast after a major U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean. U.S. military images released in recent days showed F-15E Strike Eagles arriving in the Mideast and forces in the region moving a HIMARS missile system, the type used with great success by Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in the country in 2022. Meanwhile, an Iranian Kurdish separatist group in Iraq claimed Iran targeted one of its bases in a drone and missile attack that killed at least one fighter. The National Army of Kurdistan, the armed wing of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, claimed Iran launched an attack against one of its bases near Irbil, some 320 kilometers north of Baghdad. It said one fighter had been killed, releasing mobile phone footage of a fire in the predawn darkness. A handful of Iranian Kurdish dissident or separatist groups - some with armed wings - have long found a safe haven in northern Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region, where their presence has been a point of friction between the central government in Baghdad and Tehran. The PAK has claimed it launched attacks in Iran as a crackdown on the demonstrations took place, something reported by semiofficial Iranian news agencies as well. The foreign minister saw his invitation to the World Economic Forum in Davos rescinded over the killings. He contended ’the violent phase of the unrest lasted less than 72 hours’ and sought again to blame armed demonstrators for the violence. Videos that have slipped out of Iran appear to show security forces repeatedly using live fire to target apparently unarmed protesters, something unaddressed by Araghchi. Mideast nations, particularly diplomats from Gulf Arab countries, had lobbied Trump not to attack. Last week, Iran shut its airspace, likely in anticipation of a strike. The death toll from the protests has reached at least 4,519 people, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said, relying on a network of activists inside the country that confirms all reported fatalities. The AP has been unable to independently assess the death toll, which could increase significantly as information gradually emerges from a country still under a government-imposed shutdown of the internet since Jan. 8. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, more than 26,300 people have been arrested, which led to fears of some of those detained being put to death in Iran, one of the world’s top executioners. That and the killing of peaceful protesters have been two red lines laid down by Trump in the tensions. (Source: ABC News / Associated Press = U.S.)

Iraq
20.01.2026  When companies destroy a World Heritage Site. Oil and gas licenses overlap with more than 7,000 protected areas worldwide, with a total overlapping area of 690,000 square kilometers, larger than France. This is occurring despite existing laws and ongoing efforts to protect key biodiversity areas. Four oil and gas licenses in Iraq overlap with about 400 km² of land within roughly seven protected areas, most prominently the marshes of southern Iraq, led by the Hawizeh Marsh and the Hammar Marsh, all of which are classified as protected wetlands by international and national bodies due to their high environmental importance and unique biodiversity.      Among the most prominent companies holding stakes in or operating oil and gas licenses that intersect with protected areas in Iraq are:      The Chinese company PetroChina, a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), holds a 45% stake in the Halfaya field concession, alongside the French company TotalEnergies (22.5%), Petronas (22.5%), and a 10% stake for the Iraqi state partner, Maysan Oil Company (MOC). The Halfaya field overlaps with the marshes in southern Iraq and with the Hawizeh Marsh;     Italy’s ENI operates and owns more than 40% of the Zubair oil field, overlapping with Hammar Marsh, a site protected under the Ramsar Convention;    Britain’s BP owns more than 40% of and operates the Rumaila oil field, which overlaps with approximately four protected areas shared between Iraq and Kuwait, covering an area of around 300 square kilometers;   The Chinese company Geo‑Jade holds the development and production contract for the border field of Hawizeh (Hawizeh 1), which overlaps with the two protected areas under the Ramsar Convention and UNESCO in the Hawizeh Marsh over an area ranging between 85 and 390 square kilometers. This overlap has sparked broad objections from environmental activists and raised concerns about the environmental impacts on the Hawizeh Marsh and the surrounding wetlands.      The two fields that most directly and severely threaten the Hawizeh Marsh are the Halfaya field, owned by a consortium made up of the Chinese company PetroChina, the French company Total, the Malaysian company Petronas and the Iraqi governement owned Maysan Oil Company (MOC), which is one of the largest fields in Iraq, and the Hawizeh 1 (HWZ‑1) field operated by Geo‑Jade within the boundaries of the protected site.       Fallahi, Deputy Minister of Environment, drew attention to the displacement of 68,000 families from marshland areas during the summer of 2023 due to the 'loss of livelihoods after having relied on agriculture, buffalo breeding, and fishing birds and fish.' He attributed this displacement to shrinking agricultural land, increasing desertification, more frequent dust and sandstorms, and prolonged drought. Fallahi warned that 'internal displacement may lead to external migration or the emergence of informal settlements on the outskirts of cities already suffering from severe service shortages. These areas could become breeding grounds for social problems.' (Source: Daraj - Lebanon)
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Israel
21.01.2026  Israeli prime minister Netanyahu has accepted an invitation from US President Trump to join a proposed ‘Board of Peace’ global initiative focused on Gaza, his office announced today. He will join the group as a member of its top body, which will include world leaders, the Prime Minister’s Office said in the statement. The Board of Peace is described as a Trump-led initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts, beginning with Gaza. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

20.01.26, 04:00 PM  Israeli forces bulldoze in East Jerusalem at the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Israel's parliament passed a law in October 2024 banning the agency from operating in the country and prohibiting officials from having contact with the agency. Israel has alleged that some UNRWA staff were members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and took part in the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel considers all Jerusalem to be part of the country. (Source: The Telegraph - India / Reuters – United Kingdom)
See also:       20/01/2026 - 11:17 GMT+1 Updated 16:07 /Video/ (Source: Euronews – based in Lyon, France);      “What happens today to UNRWA will happen tomorrow to any other international organisation or diplomatic mission, whether in the Occupied Palestinian Territory or anywhere around the world”, head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees Lazzarini said.  “International law has come under increasing attack for too long and is risking irrelevancy in the absence of response by Member States”. (Source: UN News –headquarters in New York City)

Syria
20/01/2026 12:17  A spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Shami, said around 1,500 islamic state members had escaped from Shaddadi prison. Syrian Interior Ministry said  security forces had recaptured 81 of the escapees. Kurdish led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) accused the Syrian army of freeing the prisoniers linked to the terrorist organization. (Source: France 24)
See also:
Tuesday 20 January 2026 11:34 GMT  Manhunt after 120 islamic state members escape from Syrian prison amid clashes between government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who guard the facility. SDF control more than a dozen prisons where some 9,000 is members are held. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

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Europe

Austria
20.01.2026  As a move followed the closure of the city’s last remaining arrival center, Catholic charity Caritas director Schwertner said yesterday that Vienna’s parishes, working with his organization will immediately offer temporary emergency accommodation to newly arriving refugees from Ukraine. The project is funded entirely through donations and is intended as a temporary emergency solution. Austria has seen a prolonged dispute between the federal government and the states over responsibility for financing and organizing the initial reception of war refugees. The issue is also being discussed as part of negotiations on reorganizing refugee care responsibilities under reforms to the EU’s Common Asylum System, which is due to enter into force in June. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

France
20/01/2026 - 21:10  "Trump might succeed in breaking up NATO where ten Soviet and Russian leaders tried and failed': Former US Ambassador, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy at Boston University. "He offers analysis of US immigration, and both foreign & economic policies and warns the US that is not only isolating itself on the global stage, but also undercutting its own economy and moral authority. 'Authoritarian opportunism, disguised as pragmatism, risks weakening America’s alliances, its values and its democratic norms'. (Source: France 24)
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Germany
20 January 2026 US  Republicans have attacked Germany’s right-wing AfD following party co-leader Weidel’s criticism of US President Trump over Venezuela and Greenland. During a press conference held by Weidel on January 13, she criticised Trump’s foreign policy: Trump has broken a fundamental campaign promise - namely, not to interfere in other countries, she said. “He must explain this to his own voters; that must be said very clearly.” According to Weidel, the US Government’s primary objective in Venezuela and Greenland is to secure resources. “We can only hope that this does not disrupt the peace negotiations in Ukraine,” she concluded. Wolfmeier, spokesperson for Republicans Overseas Germany, the group’s organisation in Germany, was raising the question of whether Weidel could still be called a close associates of US Vice President Vance, who last year attended the Munich Security Conference, where he met Weidel. He openly criticised the German establishment and the functioning of German democracy, particularly regarding its treatment of the AfD. Vance explicitly condemned the political cordon sanitaire - or firewall - surrounding the party. In recent months, several AfD politicians have travelled to the US to meet members of the MAGA camp, warning Republicans that German democracy is under threat from government-influenced domestic intelligence services targeting the AfD. In early January, the Trump administration said it was considering sanctions against senior officials in Germany’s intelligence services. Weidel’s statements have exposed the German party’s split over its foreign policy direction, caught between MPs favouring a Eurasian axis including Russia and transatlantic-oriented lawmakers. Weidel has attempted to navigate between these factions and is not fully aligned with either. The AfD’s defence policy spokesperson, Lucassen, aligned with the transatlantic wing, offered a different view from Weidel. On Venezuela, he said the party supports an interest-driven and realistic foreign policy. „By arresting the Venezuelan dictator, the United States is implementing exactly that’. He directly challenged Weidel’s concerns on Ukraine: ’From this perspective, I do not see any threat to the peace efforts in Ukraine, but rather a strengthening of the American negotiating position.’ (Source: Brussels Signal - Belgium)

'Updated': 20/01/2026 - 11:21 GMT+1  Rare display: Northern lights shine in the night sky /Video/ (Source: Euronews – based in Lyon, France)

European Parliament
Jan 20, 2026 - 19:32  Lawmakers from the ’centre-right’ European People’s Party (EPP) endorsed new internal rules today after leader Weber seeks to regain control of EPP rebels, to sanction lawmakers who vote to bring down the European Commission run by their political ally der Leyen. Several of the EPP group's members voted last October in favour of a ’far-right’ motion to bring down the European Commission, which is largely dominated by commissioners from its own ’centre-right’ political family. The main rebels were French centre-right Republicans led by Bellamy, a vice chair of the group, and members of a party from Romania, representing the Hungarian minority. The rules are designed to deter rebellions in the group, and ’for the privileges that they enjoy as Members of the group,’ the document reads. On Thursday, the Parliament will vote on a fresh bid to bring down the European Commission, pushed by the ’far-right’ Patriots group, over the EU-Mercosur trade deal. Castillo, one of the four French MEPs who voted to bring down the Commission last year, defected to the Patriots today. (Source: Euractiv - headquarters in Brussels, Belgium)

Russia
Tuesday 20 January 2026 12:43 GMT  On Russian state television, "Perfidious Albion’, a term used frequently by news anchors, is cast as a scheming global intelligence power that is meddling behind the scenes from Washington to Iran in a duplicitous bid to undermine Russian interests across the world. Britain says Russia is a threat to Europe. As the U.S. under Trump seeks to reset ties with Moscow and broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, Britain has been granted the status of Russia's public enemy number one. Britain should drop the "Great" from its official name, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov has said speaking at a press conference in Moscow today. Mr Lavrov asserted: "I think that Britain should be called simply Britain because 'Great Britain' is the only example of a country which calls itself 'Great'.’ His remarks, made during a discussion on colonialism following earlier comments regarding Greenland, were delivered to reporters. He cited the ’Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,"’led by Gaddafi, as another historical instance of a country adopting the great moniker. "But it no longer exists.' (The Independent - United Kingdom)

January 20, 2026 at 01:09 pm  Russia had no interest in interfering in Greenland’s affairs and Washington knew that Moscow itself had no plans to take control of the island, Russian foreign minister Lavrov said, speaking at a news conference in Moscow today. “It was not a natural part of Norway or a natural part of Denmark. It is a colonial conquest. The fact that the inhabitants are customed to it and feel comfortable is another matter.” (Source: TimesLIVE - South Africa)

Ukraine
Tuesday 20 January 2026 17:25 GMT  ' Ukraine is poised to establish a system enabling its allies ’to train their artificial intelligence models’ using Kyiv's combat data, announced the newly appointed Defence Minister, Fedorov, recently transitioned from his role as digitalisation minister. He described Kyiv's wartime data trove as a crucial ’card’ in its ongoing negotiations with other nations. Ukraine has amassed extensive battlefield intelligence, including systematically logged combat statistics and millions of hours of drone footage captured from above. ’Such real-world information is critically important for the development and refinement of AI models’, which require substantial volumes of authentic data ’to effectively identify complex patterns and accurately predict how individuals or objects might behave in diverse operational scenarios’. Fedorov told reporters that there was demand for this data from allies. Ukraine was using AI technology from US data analytics firm Palantir for both military and civilian applications, and his team was receiving advice from the Center for Strategic and International Studies and RAND in the US, as well as Britain's Royal United Services Institute, he said. ’ (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

January 20, 2026 at 10:44am GMT  Russia has escalated its aerial attacks on the electricity supply. Ukraine’s air force command said that 27 missiles and 315 drones were shot down or jammed, while five missiles and 24 drones hit 11 locations in the latest night-time attack. (Source: Irish News - Ireland)

Global

World Economic Forum
January 20, 2026  Protesters in Switzerland raged against President Trump ahead of his visit to the country for the annual World Economic Forum. Zurich, the Swiss economic nerve center served as the backdrop to demonstrations yesterday evening where protesters carried “Trump not welcome” and ’Put Trumpster in the dumpster’ placards. In the center of Zurich, at the front of the crowd, several people clutched a massive sign reading, “No WEF! No oligarchy! No imperialist wars!” A U.S. flag was also burned by masked men as police looked on. Protesters set fire to several objects and targeted American businesses, including the luxury car brand Cadillac. ’F - Trump’ graffiti was also scrawled on walls, and one protester carried a sign saying, ’Trump for prison.’ Three officers were injured by fireworks and stones. Police lost patience soon after 9 p.m. local time, blasting protesters with water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets. The demonstration, ostensibly to oppose the World Economic Forum, took on an anti-U.S. tone in the wake of the president’s musing about seizing Greenland from Denmark, a NATO ally. Trump, 79, is set to touch down in Switzerland tomorrow. The forum is expected to be dominated by Trump’s turbulent international policy, including the surprise operation in Venezuela that sent its president, Maduro, to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges. Trump has also reignited his desire to incorporate Canada into the U.S., posting mocking images on the subject on social media late yesterday. Trump ’ll encounter the world leaders whose private texts he leaked in a bizarre posting frenzy overnight. ’E.U. chief der Leyen has remained a strong voice against Trump’. In Davos today, she vowed that Europe’s response to his repeated threats on Greenland would be unflinching. One victim of Trump’s trigger-happy posting was French President Macron. I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland, read Macron’s message to Trump, who later threatened France with soaring tariffs. Macron infuriated Trump by rejecting his invitation to join his so-called “Board of Peace,” and speaking out against Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on eight European allies until the U.S. secures its ’complete and total purchase’ of Greenland. Macron then took the podium at the World Economic Forum today, warning that the world is moving away from the rule of law in the international arena. Trump also revealed a boot-licking message from NATO leader Rutte. ’Mr. President, dear Donald – what you accomplished in Syria today is incredible,’ the message reads. ’I will use my media engagements in Davos to highlight your work there, in Gaza, and in Ukraine,’ Rutte wrote. ’I am committed to finding a way forward on Greenland. Cant wait to see you. Yours, Mark.’ (Source: NNYUZ - Armenia? / The Daily Beast - U.S.)

20 January 2026  US social media companies have long accused European regulators of unfairly targeting them and imposing censorship. The European Union says it aims to protect users and increase the accountability of the platforms. Musk’s X is at the center of a standoff between big tech and Brussels. The platform was fined €120M ($140M) for breaching transparency rules under the European Digital Services Act. Musk called for the bloc’s abolition. X has drawn wide condemnation in recent weeks as the social platform was flooded with images of digitally undressed women and children generated by its chatbot Grok. A group of 54 members of the European Parliament called for European alternatives to the dominant social media platforms yesterday. They argued that ’X is no longer an open and balanced tool for political communication or journalism’ after the company was bought by Musk. ’It now resembles a deepfake pornography website, and a one-way broadcast system for Musk himself,’ they wrote in an open letter to President of the European Commission der Leyen. Amid rising tensions with the United States, European organizations are about to launch their own social media platform, W, which will require identification and photo validation to ensure that its users are both humans and who they claim to be, Danish news media outlet Politiken.dk reports. It is supported by an advisory board and former ministers and business representatives, primarily from Sweden. Zeiter, CEO of W, has told Bilanz.ch that W stands for “We.” The first of the Vs that make up W stands for “Values,” and the second for “Verified.” The fact that W comes before X in the alphabet is certainly also a welcome coincidence, Zeiter said. W’s data will be hosted decentrally in Europe by European companies, and the platform will adhere to strict EU data protection laws. If political Brussels starts posting on W instead of X, we'll have already achieved a great deal, she added. Zeiter is a Swiss privacy expert with a long history of working in tech. According to her LinkedIn profile, she spent over a decade at eBay, an American e-commerce company, where she oversaw data protection and artificial intelligence (AI). She earned her PhD in law at the University of Hamburg and later studied at Stanford University. We believe there is an urgent need for a new social media platform built, governed and hosted in Europe. With human verification, free speech and data privacy at its core, Zeiter wrote in her LinkedIn post. Previous user exodus from X to platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky had limited success. W will be legally the subsidiary of “We Don’t Have Time,” a media platform for climate action, but the team is scattered across Europe, with offices in Berlin and Paris planned, Bilanz reports. The W social platform is not yet widely available to users. Washington Post reporter Tharoor has shared a snapshot of the W’s introductory video, displayed at the debut event at the World Economic Forum in Davos. (Source: CyberNews - Lithuania)
by Krištopaitytė

Tue 20 Jan 2026 at 20:35  Dialogue is constructive and more and more people understand the fairness of Russian position, Putin envoy Dmitriev said after talks which lasted for two hours with Trump's envoy Witkoff and Trump's son in law Kushner in the USA House at Davos, Switzerland, on a possible future peace deal to end the Ukraine war. Witkoff said: "We had a very positive meeting," Russia's RIA news agency reported. Russia controls about 19pc of Ukraine, including the Crimea peninsula. Russia says Crimea, Donbas, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are now parts of Russia. Ukraine says it will never accept that. Ukraine and European powers say that ’if Russia wins, then it will one day attack NATO’. Moscow says such claims are ridiculous and that it has no intention of attacking a NATO member. Russia says that European leaders are intent on scuttling the peace talks by introducing conditions that they know will be unacceptable to Russia, which took 12 to 17 square km of Ukrainian territory per day in 2025. Putin casts the war as a watershed moment in relations with the West, which he says humiliated Russia after the Soviet Union fell in 1991 by enlarging Nato and encroaching on what he considers Moscow's sphere of influence. He has repeatedly said he is open to peace but one based on the realities of the battlefield. The United States says a total of a million Russian and Ukrainian men have been killed or injured in the war. Russia and Ukraine do not publish losses. (Source: Irish Independent - Ireland)

Space

January 19 1047 UT (11:47 CET)  Sunspot 4341 erupted on January 18 1809 UTC, producing an X1.9-class solar flare. Coronal mass ejection reached Earth's magnetic field on January 19 1930 UTC (20:30 CET). A G4-clas (severe) storm, caused by the impact, is underway. Solar wind speed: about 1 050 km / sec

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Europe

Corsica
January 13, 2026 2:18 PM CET  Former Corsican nationalist leader and football club executive Orsoni had been shot from a distance at his mother’s funeral and died shortly afterward, yesterday. Orsoni led several political movements in favor of Corsica’s independence in the 1980s and 1990s. and was elected to regional office - before leaving the island for South America in 1996. He returned to Corsica in 2008 to head the local football club AC Ajaccio and survived a first assassination attempt shortly after taking up the role. Orsoni’s brother Guy was killed in 1983 by a Corsican gang. His son, also named Guy, was sentenced to 13 years in prison last year for the attempted murder of convicted Corsican gang member Porri. This is the first time the anti-organized crime prosecutor’s office, which began operations last week, has taken charge of a case. The office was set up by legislation passed last year to strengthen France’s response to a surge in killings tied to drug trafficking. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

Denmark
16/01/2026 - 18:28  Denmark’s leaders host a US delegation in Copenhagen. Eleven US lawmakers are visiting the city today to express support for Denmark and Greenland, emphasising that President Trump’s designs on the Arctic island do not have the backing of the American people. (Source: France 24)
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January 16, 2026 6:06 PM CET  U.S.  Republican Sen. Murkowski - 'an Alaskan who is a regular critic of the president' - was speaking to reporters in Copenhagen after taking part in a bipartisan delegation of U.S. House and Senate lawmakers meeting with Danish and Greenlandic officials. She threatened today to invoke congressional powers to stop U.S. Trump from following through on his threats to seize Greenland. “In Congress, we have tools at our disposal under our constitutional authority that speaks specifically to the power of the purse through appropriations,” Murkowski said, referring to congressional control of federal spending. She added that Greenland, a self-ruling Danish territory, should be seen as an “ally” rather than an ’asset.’ Democratic Sen. Coons of Delaware, said he would push ahead with legislation to curb Trump’s power to act unilaterally. A bipartisan group of American lawmakers introduced a bill this week to prevent Washington from invading a fellow NATO member. (Greenland, as a Danish territory, is part of the Atlantic alliance.) Congress can force votes on constraining presidential war powers, but recent efforts to rein in Trump have not succeeded. Trump has invoked the specter of Russian and Chinese warships in the Arctic as an argument for seizing control of Greenland. Conns said such claims were rhetoric rather than reality. The Kremlin’s chief spokesperson Peskov said today the situation in Greenland was highly unusual from the point of view of international law, adding Moscow would watch together with the whole world as events unfold. (Source: Politico - U.S.)

January 16, 2026  French Army General Richoux wants the United States to know that if it dares to take Greenland, then the French - and Europeans - ’must fight the Americans’. Fears grow that the United States is readying to annex Greenland irrespective of what the government of Denmark wants. Prominent Europeans have been making empty threats at the Americans for weeks. Many have been asking how much of Brussels’ chest-thumping and caterwauling about the neo-imperialism of the United States is just for show. Advocating hostility toward the United States is a strange prospect, given that the United States is the key backer of all European security. The Europeans collectively lack an impressive military. If the United States really intended to invade Greenland - and the European members of NATO really intended to defend it - why would America continue selling its missiles to Europe? Things are clearly not bad enough for Denmark to abandon their purchase of US-made, laser-guided, air-to-surface precision AGM-114R Hellfire missiles and their associated equipment. The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Denmark which has been valued at around $45 million. Will these weapons be turned against America if Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth launch an invasion of Greenland? The sale is believed to support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by strengthening a NATO ally’s defense capabilities. Included in the deal will be US government and contractor services to maintain the equipment sold to Denmark. The weapon enhances Denmark’s precision strike capability, especially from aerial and unmanned platforms. The most likely deployment will be aboard Denmark’s MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones (yet another American system). Another possibility is that the US-made Hellfire missiles will be equipped onboard the US-made MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, which Denmark operates. Lockheed Martin is expected to be the lead US contractor on the deal. If the Americans were really these blood-thirsty invaders out to steal Denmark’s prized territory of Greenland, why would the Americans be selling their own advanced weapons to Denmark (which would undoubtedly sue those US-made weapons against the Americans if the Danish government chose to protect their claim on Greenland?) The whole thing is ridiculous. Europe’s furious reaction to Trump’s repeated ruminations about annexing Greenland have less to do with international legal norms and more to do with the fact that ’the European elite hate to be reminded of just how impotent they are. Trump’s comments on Greenland are a perennial reminder to the haughty European mind just how far they’ve fallen from greatness on the world stage. Europe, despite the presence of NATO and the economic alliance that is the European Union, has no real leverage in world affairs’. Battling a disturbing number of internal crises, ranging from a turgid economy to collapsing fertility rates - to follow, for they lack the requisite power to chart their own destiny - the Europeans now find themselves in an unenviable position where they must choose hostile foreign governments, like those of Russia and China, or Americans. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)
by Weichert, a senior national security editor at The National Interest. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower; Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine.

15.01.2026  Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen warned any non-consensual attempt by the US to acquire Greenland would signify the collapse of the North Atlantic alliance. Rasmussen met US Vice President Vance in Washington to discuss Arctic security and relations. „You trade with people, but you don't trade people," he said, referring to the rights of the Greenlandic population. He argued that the population would not support independence or a transfer to American governance, citing extensive social benefits provided by the Danish state. "I think there's no way that US will pay for Scandinavian welfare system in Greenland, honestly speaking," he remarked. Rasmussen confirmed that the two allies agreed to establish a high-level working group to explore whether there is a way forward that respects the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark while addressing US President Trump's ambitions. The foreign minister added that Denmark has invested heavily in Arctic capabilities, noting an allocation of almost US 8 billion last year to ensure the region does not become a high-tension area. He was dismissing claims of a Chinese footprint on the island during a television interview with Fox News today. "We haven't seen China's warship in previously for a decade or so, there's absolutely no Chinese investments in Greenland," said Rasmussen, noting that during his tenure as prime minister, he personally intervened to prevent Chinese infrastructure projects to avoid a Chinese footprint. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Germany
16.01.2026  Germany is considering sending Eurofighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft, and naval vessels to Greenland for NATO exercises aimed at strengthening Arctic security. A German military reconnaissance team departed for Greenland to assess conditions for potential future drills with NATO allies in the strategically important region in coordination with Denmark, which leads the mission. German Foreign Minister Wadephul told reporters on today that Germany will work to strengthen dialogue between the US and Europe on Greenland. He added that Germany is ready to assume 'a leadership role' on Arctic security. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

European Commission
Jan 14, 2026 - 16:00  The EU plans to sign agreement on 27 January in New Delhi. EU-India trade deal will exclude agriculture, der Leyen says speaking at a meeting with her centre-right EPP group. (Source: Euractiv - headquarters Brussels, Belgium)

Jan 14, 2026 - 16:01  'There are many speculations out there about what should be done, what could be done, what may be done,' the European Commission chief der Leyen told reporters, when asked whether the so-called Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty would apply if the US invaded the mineral-rich Arctic island, which is part of the Danish kingdom but is not formally an EU member. Her comments come just days after Defence Commissioner Kubilius said the clause – which obliges EU countries to provide “aid and assistance by all the means in their power” to a member state that is a 'victim of armed aggression' – would definitely apply if the US attacked Greenland. NATO’s Article 5, which mirrors the EU’s own Article 42.7, notes that an armed attack on any member of the US-led military alliance shall be considered an attack against them all. However, it is unclear what would happen if one NATO ally invaded another. Denmark’s Foreign Minister Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Motzfeldt, are set to meet with US Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio in Washington later this afternoon. Copenhagen is currently sending military equipment and troops to Greenland. (Source: Euractiv - headquarters Brussels, Belgium)

14.01.2026 '  Its president proposes $104B financial support package for Ukraine in 2026–2027. Der Leyen said in Brussels that 24 out of the 27 member states are participating in the package. Since the start of the Russian war against Ukraine, the EU and its member states have provided €193.3 billion ($225 billion) in support, including €3.7 billion from immobilized Russian assets. ' (Source: Anadolu Agency -Turkey)

European Parliament
15.01.2026  The Patriots for Europe, the third-largest political group in the European Parliament, filed a censure motion yesterday against the European Commission for a trade agreement with the South American Mercosur. The group accuses EU Commission of ignoring farmers' concerns, bypassing European, national parliaments. The group argued that the agreement threatens European food security and it is exposing domestic farmers to unfair competition. European Commission President der Leyen survived similar confidence motions on the Gaza Strip and trade in July and October. If passed, the motion would force her commission to resign. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

European Union
January 15, 2026 7:01 AM CET  'The international liberal order is ending". In fact, it may already be dead. 'But America’s 47th president is equally responsible for another death' — that of the united West. One of the key findings of a poll conducted in November 2025 by the European Council on Foreign Relations and Oxford University’s Europe in a Changing World research project, based on interviews with 26,000 individuals in 21 countries is that only one in six respondents considered the U.S. to be an ally, while a sobering one in five viewed it as a rival or adversary. In Germany, France and Spain that number approaches 30 percent, and in Switzerland - which Trump singled out for higher tariffs - it’s as high as 39 percent. Perceptions of Europe have also started to change. With Trump pursuing an America First foreign policy, which often leaves Europe out in the cold, other countries are now viewing the EU as a sovereign geopolitical actor in its own right. In Russia, voters have grown less hostile toward the U.S. Two years ago, 64 percent of Russians viewed the U.S. as an adversary, whereas today that number sits at 37 percent. 72 percent now consider Europe either an advisory or a rival - up from 69 percent a year ago. Ukrainians, who once saw the U.S. as their greatest ally, are now looking to Europe for protection. Nearly two-thirds expect their country’s relations with the EU to get stronger, while only one-third say the same about the U.S. Beyond Europe, the single biggest long-term impact of Trump’s first year in office is how he has driven people away from the U.S. and closer to China. Beijing’s influence expected to grow across the board. From South Africa and Brazil to Turkey, majorities expect their country’s relationship with China to deepen over the next five years. In these countries, more respondents see Beijing as an ally than Washington. At the end of 2024, a whopping 84 percent of Indians considered Trump’s victory to be a good thing for their country; now only 53 percent do. This poll was conducted before Trump’s intervention in Venezuela and before his remarks about taking over Greenland. These trends - of countries pulling away from the U.S. and toward China, and a Europe isolated from its transatlantic partner - are likely to accelerate. The rules-based order is giving way to a world of spheres of influence, where might makes right and the West is split from within. In such a world, you are either a pole with your own sphere of influence or a bystander in someone else’s. European leaders should heed their voters and ensure the continent belongs in the first category. (Source: Politico - U.S.)
by Leonard, the director and co-founder of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and author of “Surviving Chaos: Geopolitics when the Rules Fail” (April 2026).

Faroe Islands
Jan 15, 2026 - 10:35  In Faroe Islands – which, like Greenland, are part of the Danish kingdom - EU-related discussions take up little space in the public debate, and when they do arise, they focus primarily on fisheries. The perception of the EU in the Faroe Islands is much more about trade than security. Trump’s remarks on Greenland have not altered that dynamic. (Source: Euractiv - headquartered in Brussels, Belgium)

Greenland
Jan 15, 2026 - 18:24  Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen - a former Danish prime minister - said Denmark and the US remain in fundamental disagreement over Greenland, but confirmed that talks would continue following a highly anticipated meeting in Washington yesterday involving officials from Denmark, Greenland and the US. Earlier yesterday, Trump had said on social media that anything short of US control of Greenland was unacceptable and that NATO should be leading the way in securing it. Ideas that would not respect the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right to self-determination of Greenland’s people are totally unacceptable, Rasmussen said. Foreign Affairs Minister of Greenland Motzfeldt echoed the sentiment, stressing Greenland’s desire to deepen cooperation with Washington while rejecting any notion of US ownership. (Source: Euractiv - headquartered in Brussels, Belgium)

January 15, 2026 11:04am EST  Troops from from several European countries  deploy to Greenland in rapid 2-day mission as Trump eyes US takeover. France, Germany, Norway and Sweden are participating in the exercise. Germany sends a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel. France deploys 15 mountain specialists to bolster territory's defenses. Sweden, Norway and Britain sent three, two and one officers, respectively. Leaders say the mission is meant to demonstrate they can deploy military assets quickly. Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Motzfeldt met with Secretary of State Rubio and Vice President Vance at the White House yesterday. Danish foreign minister Rasmussen recaps meeting with the Trump administration and addresses President Trump’s push to control Greenland. "From today, there will be an expanded military presence in and around Greenland - in close cooperation with NATO allies. The purpose is to train the ability to operate under the unique Arctic conditions and to strengthen the alliance’s footprint in the Arctic, benefiting both European and transatlantic security," the Danish Ministry of Defense said in a statement yesterday. It said the exercise activities in 2026 could include guarding critical infrastructure, providing assistance to local authorities in Greenland, including the police, receiving allied troops, deploying fighter aircraft in and around Greenland, and conducting naval operations. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Reuters today that ’The American ambition to take over Greenland is intact.’ (Source: Fox News - U.S.)
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15/01/2026 - 16:32  In Nuuk, all eyes were on the meeting between US, Danish and Greenlander officials in the White House on January 14 to address US President Trump's desire to take over the Danish territory. Greenland's deputy prime minister announced afterwards NATO troops would be arriving for training in the coming days. (Source: France 24)

Jan 15, 2026 08:41 IST  Earlier yesterday, Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Motzfeldt met US Secretary of State Rubio and Vice President Vance. US President Trump renewed his push for the United States to acquire Greenland, casting doubt on Copenhagen’s ability to defend the island, expressing confidence that something will work out. Trump’s remarks came after high-level talks between US, Danish and Greenlandic officials at the White House, which failed to produce a breakthrough on the future of Greenland, which is currently governed by Denmark. Trump has also mocked Denmark for shoring up Greenland’s defences, calling them two dog sleds. Following the talks, the Danish and Greenlandic sides said a joint working group would be set up to discuss a broad range of issues related to Greenland, with meetings expected in the coming weeks. Rasmussen said there was an element of truth in the need to bolster Arctic security but dismissed Trump’s claims about Russian and Chinese warships near Greenland as not true. Denmark made clear there was a fundamental disagreement with Washington over the future of the Arctic territory. Denmark and Greenland have firmly rejected any suggestion of a transfer of sovereignty, stressing that Trump’s insistence on acquiring the island was totally unacceptable. Rasmussen said Denmark and Greenland were, however, open to discussions on strengthening security cooperation, including the possibility of additional US military bases on the island. Under existing agreements with Denmark, Washington has broad rights to deploy forces to the territory. The US already maintains a military presence at the Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland, where more than 100 American personnel are permanently stationed. Public opinion in the US appears divided. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that just 17 per cent of Americans approve of Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland, with majorities of both Democrats and Republicans opposing the use of military force to annex the island. Some 47 per cent of respondents disapproved of US efforts to acquire Greenland, while 35 per cent said they were unsure, in the two-day poll which concluded on Tuesday. Rasmussen later made clear that serious differences remain. Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and leaders of four political parties have said Greenland has no interest in becoming part of either the US or Denmark, reiterating its status as a self-governing territory within the Danish realm. Washington continues to argue that Greenland is vital to US national security. The island sits between North America and the Arctic and is considered crucial for missile early-warning systems and monitoring regional shipping routes. (India Today „with inputs from Reuters”)

(Wednesday), Jan. 14, 2026, 11:00 AM GMT+1  Greenland hosts a small U.S. military footprint at Pituffik Space Base. The base includes a contingent of U.S. Space Force and other military personnel who staff radar systems that serve as an early warning system for any attacks from Russia. The U.S. and Denmark also share intelligence regularly about what the military sees in the region. Greenland has long been receptive to hosting more U.S. military assets or to negotiating over its strategic resources, which include rare earth minerals. Now, there is a growing sense of inevitability in Europe and the U.S. that Trump will gain some ground in his Greenland aspirations as he seeks to expand American influence in the Western Hemisphere. The United States could have to pay as much as $700 billion if it were to achieve President Trump’s goal of buying Greenland, to acquire the 800,000-square-mile island of 57,000 residents. The U.S. needs it for national security, as a strategic buffer in the Arctic Circle. Desire to acquire Greenland stems in part from concerns that its residents could seek independence and that, if they are successful, the island’s 27,000 miles of coastline could fall into the hands of adversaries. Ownership could make Greenland akin to a U.S. territory such as Guam, American Samoa or Puerto Rico and solidify Washington’s strategic relationship with the island for the long term. Greenland, the semi-autonomous territory of the kingdom of Denmark, is not for sale. Today, Rubio and Vice President Vance are scheduled to meet with officials from Denmark and Greenland, who traveled to Washington. “Greenland does not want to be owned by, governed by or part of the United States,” Foreign Minister Motzfeldt said as she arrived in Washington yesterday. 'The U.S. can already put more troops in Greenland and expand its military and security capabilities there under the current agreement between the two governments', a U.S. official familiar with the issue said. 'Why invade the cow when they’ll sell you the milk at relatively good prices? the official said'. Another option under consideration includes forming what is known as a compact of free association with Greenland, an agreement that would include U.S. financial assistance in exchange for allowing it to have security presence there. It could satisfy part of Trump’s broader vision for American hegemony in the Western Hemisphere - and could be less costly than the purchase price estimate for Greenland of $500 billion to $700 billion. The U.S. in 1916 agreed to buy islands in the Caribbean from Denmark and, in turn, acknowledged that the U.S. “will not object” to the Danish government’s holding political and economic interests to all of Greenland, according to the agreement at the time. Yesterday, a bipartisan duo of senators introduced legislation that would prohibit the Defense Department from using funds to assert control over the sovereign territory of a NATO member state without that state’s authorization or approval by the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s principal political decision-making body, a clear message of opposition. (Source: NBC News - U.S.)

09:03-14 January 2026  The Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers will meet US Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio today after President Trump recently stepped up threats to take over Greenland. The extraction of oil and natural gas is banned in Greenland for environmental reasons, while development of its mining sector has been snarled in red tape and opposition from indigenous people.    Details of Greenland's main mineral deposits, based on data from its Mineral Resources Authority:    Rare-earth elements are key to permanent magnets used in electric vehicles (EV) and wind turbines. Three of Greenland's biggest deposits are located in the southern province of Gardar.  Companies seeking to develop rare-earth mines are Critical Metals Corp, which bought the Tanbreez ⁠deposit, Energy Transition Minerals, whose Kuannersuit project is stalled amid legal disputes, and Neo Performance Materials.    Natural graphite is mostly used in EV batteries and steelmaking Occurrences of graphite and graphite schist are reported from many localities on the island. GreenRoc has applied for an exploitation license to develop the Amitsoq graphite project.    Most copper deposits have drawn only limited exploration campaigns. Especially interesting are the underexplored areas ⁠in the northeast and center-east of Greenland. London-listed 80 Mile is seeking to develop the Disko-Nuussuaq deposit, which has copper, nickel, platinum and cobalt.    Traces of nickel accumulations are numerous. Major miner Anglo American was granted an exploration license in western Greenland in 2019 and has been looking for nickel deposits, among others.    Zinc is mostly found in the north in a geologic formation that stretches more than 2,500 km. Companies have sought to develop the Citronen Fjord zinc and lead project, which had been billed as one of the world's largest undeveloped zinc resources.    The most prospective areas for gold potential are situated around the Sermiligaarsuk fjord in the country's south. Amaroq Minerals launched a gold mine last year in Mt Nalunaq in ⁠the Kujalleq Municipality.    While most small diamonds and the largest stones are found in the island's west, their presence in other regions may also be significant. Deposits are located at Isua in southern West Greenland, at Itilliarsuk in central West Greenland, and in North West Greenland along the Lauge Koch Kyst.    Titanium is used for commercial, medical and industrial purposes, while vanadium is mainly used to produce specialty steel alloys. The most important industrial vanadium compound, vanadium pentoxide, is used as a catalyst for the production of sulfuric acid. Known deposits of titanium and vanadium are in the southwest, the east and south.    Used for several industrial applications, tungsten is mostly found in the central-east and northeast of the country, with assessed deposits in the south and west.    In 2021, the then-ruling left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit party banned uranium mining, effectively halting development of the Kuannersuit rare-earths project, which has uranium as a byproduct. (Source: Asharq Al-Awsat - headquartered in London, United Kingdom, owned by a member of Saudi royal family)

Tuesday 13 January 2026 12:03 GMT  A year after then-U.S. national security advisor Waltz announced: ’This is about critical minerals. This is about natural resources,’ U.S. is sabre-rattling over Greenland once again. Vast reserves of oil are found offshore across eastern and western Greenland. Like with Venezuela’s oil, it will take an enormous amount of money to build the infrastructure needed to mine the natural resources in Greenland. Fossil fuel production in Greenland is implausible even in the event of a full US takeover, less likely to happen any time soon. In 2021, for environmental reasons, Greenland’s government banned fossil fuel exploration and extraction. Greenland possesses at least 25 of the 34 raw materials considered critical by the European Union. The EU’s 2024 Critical Raw Materials Act seeks to improve European supply security of these. Mining and fossil fuel projects are capital-intensive, requiring large upfront investments with long lead times before projects yield profits. Private mining and fossil fuel corporations can exploit public infrastructure such as roads, ports, power generation, housing and specialist workers to make their operations profitable. Outside its capital Nuuk, there is almost no road infrastructure in Greenland and limited deep-water ports for large tankers and container ships. Minerals are a prominent but sensitive topic in Greenland’s relationship to the rest of the world. The government insists on state ownership but struggle to find the capital and state capacity to enable extraction. Foreign companies have tried to set up viable mining industries in Greenland for decades, with little to show for it. American corporations have long had the opportunity to enter Greenland’s mining sector. Extremely harsh climactic conditions mean that so far, no firm has begun commercial mining activities. In 2021, Greenland’s new socialist Inuit Ataqatigiit government banned uranium mining on pollution grounds. Australian company Energy Transitions Minerals (ETM) sued Greenland and Denmark in 2023 for 76 billion kroner (£8.9 billion). It claimed to have been robbed of future profits after its uranium project at Kuannersuit/Kvanefjeld was terminated. ETM said that both governments had used GM to promote Greenland as a safe destination for mining investors. Research in 2025 labelled similar behaviour ’feigned victimisation’. As part of the gradual transfer of autonomy from Denmark, Greenland now retains ownership over its natural resources. Greenland has a mining profit-sharing agreement with Denmark. Mining profits are shared 50-50 between the two up to the value of the annual block grant of 3.9 billion kroner which Denmark provides to support the domestic economy. Recently, the Australian-American corporation Critical Metals received construction approval for a permanent office for its Tanbreez project to supply rare earth minerals, including heavy rare earth elements, in southern Greenland. The following day, mining company Amaroq declared that the US is considering investing in its mining projects in southern Greenland through EXIM, the US Export-Import Bank. If the state loan is approved, it will be Trump’s first to an overseas mining project. A recent executive order from Trump earmarked US$5 billion to support mining projects critical for national security. This demonstrates the close relationship between the extractive industries and military activity. There are many reasons why the Trump administration might want to dominate the Arctic. But natural resource extraction is unlikely to feature centrally. The US already has military bases in Greenland, following a defence agreement with Denmark. It’s more likely that recent US moves are yet another chapter in the return of the country’s imperialist ambitions. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)

Iceland
15.01.2026  Iceland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs contacted the US Embassy in Reykjavik after reports that former US Congressman Long, nominated to serve as ambassador to Iceland, joked that Iceland could become the 52nd US state. Long reportedly made the comment during a Washington meeting with members of Congress, saying he would be the governor if Iceland were annexed, according to Politico. The comments sparked public outrage in Iceland, with a petition urging Foreign Minister Gunnarsdottir to reject Long as ambassador gathering more than 2,500 signatures. The petition describes Long's words as insulting to Iceland and Icelanders, who have had to fight for their freedom and have always been a friend of the United States. Reykjavik seeks clarification. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

January 15, 2026 3:33 pm CET  Reykjavík is concerned about America’s growing territorial ambitions, after Politico reported that President Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Iceland Long joked in Washington that Iceland will be the 52nd U.S. state and he’ll be governor. Long later reportedly apologized for the joke, telling Arctic Today, an Alaska-based nonprofit news site: 'There was nothing serious about that, I was with some people, who I hadn’t met for three years, and they were kidding about Landry being governor of Greenland and they started joking about me and if anyone took offense to it, then I apologize.” (Source: Politico - U.S.)

Jan 15, 2026 - 10:35  Trump’s ambitions in Greenland, an autonomous territory that is part of EU member Denmark, concerns over US intentions and regional security push Iceland closer to the EU. Greenland and Iceland are located in the same strategic corridor in the Northwest Atlantic, a region of growing military and commercial importance as global warming opens new shipping routes and increases access to natural resources. Iceland - a country of around 390,000 people - is an independent country and a NATO member in its own right. EU membership is increasingly discussed in Reykjavik not as an economic choice, but as a question of long-term defence and geopolitical alignment. This reassessment has also been fuelled by the 15% tariff the US imposed on Icelandic goods in August 2025. The country is the only NATO member without a standing army, relying instead on the alliance and a 1951 bilateral defence agreement with the United States. Iceland’s Foreign Minister, Gunnarsdóttir, recently announced that parliament will present a resolution this spring on whether to hold a referendum on resuming EU accession talks. If the parliament approves the resolution, Icelanders will head to the polls within nine months. That suggests the Icelandic government could be aiming for a vote by spring 2027. Opinion polls conducted in 2025 by Prósent and Gallup found 45 percent supporting accession and 35 percent opposing, while both polls showed similar results. If Icelanders vote ‘yes’, EU-membership could be a reality within just a few years. (Source: Euractiv - headquartered in Brussels, Belgium)

Serbia
14.01.2026  President Vučić and Speaker of the Parliament Brnabić claim that members of the European Parliament who are scheduled to visit Serbia from 22 to 24 January are uninvited and refuse to meet them. (Source: Euroean Western Balkans - Serbia)

Ukraine
14.01.2026  Fedorov, former minister of digital transformation is the country's new defense minister. Later in the day, the parliament also supported Shmyhal's nomination as the first deputy prime minister and energy minister. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

United Kingdom
January 16, 2026  ’ Due to budgetary shortfalls, the British military is not ready for a full-scale conflict with Russia, Air Chief Marshal Sir Knighton, chief of the defence staff, told British lawmakers in a recent testimony to a parliamentary committee on defense. The Brexit vote caused pressures in successive governments to cut defense spending in order to fund 'other societal needs'. ’According to a report released in December, the UK will need to spend more than $1.7 trillion (£800bn) by 2040 on new funding for military acquisition and infrastructure projects. That number is necessary to meet new ambitious goals for NATO following President Trump’s pressure for a 5 percent GDP spending per year. The expected total defense spending by the current Labour government for 2025/26 is approximately $84 billion (£62.2 billion). It is set to increase to nearly $99 billion (£73.5 billion) in 2028/29. ’ (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)

United Nations

Tue 13 Jan 2026 at 09:36  US deputy ambassador to the United Nations Bruce told an emergency meeting of the Security Council that the US deplores the staggering number of casualties in the conflict and condemns Russia's intensifying attacks on energy and other infrastructure, and singled out Russia's launch of a nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile last week close to Ukraine's border with Poland, a Nato ally. Russia, Ukraine and Europe must pursue peace seriously and bring this nightmare to an end, Ms Bruce said. Ukraine called for the meeting after last Thursday's overnight Russian bombardment with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, including the powerful, new hypersonic Oreshnik missile. The large-scale attack came days after Ukraine and its allies reported major progress towards agreeing on how to defend the country from further Moscow aggression if a US-led peace deal is struck. The attack also coincided with a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington after Russia condemned the US seizure of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic. And it came as US president Trump signalled he is on board with a hard-hitting sanctions package meant to economically cripple Russia. Ukraine's UN ambassador Melnyk said that Russia is more vulnerable now than at any time since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, its economy is slowing and oil revenue is down. ’The carefully staged image of strength is nothing but smoke and mirrors, completely detached from reality.’ Moscow has given no public signal it is willing to budge from its maximalist demands on Ukraine. But Russia's UN ambassador Nebenzia told the Security Council that until Zelensky comes to his senses and agrees to realistic conditions for negotiations, ’we will continue solving the problem by military means’. "Similarly, each vile attack on Russian civilians will elicit a stiff response." (Source: Irish Independent - Ireland)

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