Egyik 19

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Europe

Poland
7 February 2025  On February 5, during an interview with internet channel Kanał Zero, Poland’s President Duda, an ally of the opposition Conservatives (PiS), has said he was concerned that European Union institutions may interfere in the country’s May presidential election based on the experience of events in Romania. Brussels “does not like Conservatives ruling in Poland”, he said, adding that the current centre-left government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk might overrule the result of the election should the PiS win. Events in Romania “have worried me a lot and I have many doubts” about them, the President said. In December 2024, Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the first round of the election the previous month that had been unexpectedly won by a ’right-wing’ candidate Georgescu. The court claimed it did so based on 'evidence' of Russian interference. Duda claimed Brussels interfered in Romania’s recent presidential election. ’Prominent members of the European Commission have admitted they interfered in the Romanian case’. The President may have been referring to the remarks made by ex-commissioner Breton who had said in a media interview that the cancellation of the Romania ballot was done with involvement of Brussels. Duda asked whether “today’s elections in individual countries can only be won by those accepted in Brussels?' adding: “I have this impression and I don’t like it very much.” The President argued that the European Commission had form in interfering in Polish elections, too. He cited the fact that the body blocked EU pandemic funding for the former PiS government and unblocked them immediately on the election of the centre-left government led by Tusk in 2023. Duda called the actions of the commission with regard to Poland political manipulation, involving “blocking funds because the government was not liked by the EC”. He said that was because of its different approach to many issues such as environmental protection, migration and the rule of law. Poland’s head of state also said he feared interference of the Romanian variety should the Polish result go against the present government’s main candidate, Warsaw mayor Trzaskowski. He claimed he feared the way the government was refusing to recognise the Supervisory Chamber of the Supreme Court, charged with certifying the election result, could be the precursor of a decision by parliament to refuse to recognise the outcome on the grounds that no “appropriate” judicial body had certified the poll. The first round of the Polish presidential election is due to take place on May 18, with the second round set for June 1. Duda’s second and final term as president expires in early August. (Source: Brussels Signal, published by Remedia Europe SRL, Brussels)

Russia
7 February 2025  The General Prosecutor's office today morning announced that the journalist-owned Barents Observer newspaper, media based in northern Norway is added to Russia's list of so-called 'undesirable organisations.' ’A significant part of the newspaper's materials have a clearly expressed anti-Russian character.’ ’The articles are aimed at stimulating protest motions among the population in north Russian regions, tighten anti-Russian sanctions [and] boosting NATO's military presence by our borders,’ the Russian state authority writes. The Barents Observer are ’discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,’ the notice reads. The newspaper's journalists are propagating ’untraditional values,’ the General Prosecutor argues. It also underlines that the editorial staff of the Barents Observer includes Russian journalists in exile, among them people who are on Russia's so-called 'foreign agent' list and the list of ’extremists and terrorists.’ Yesterday the small Norwegian newspaper won a court case in the European Court of Human Rights against Russia's censorship agency Roskomnadzor. (Source: The Barents Observer, based in Kirkenes, Norway)

United Kingdom
2/7/2025  Security officials in the United Kingdom have demanded that Apple create a back door allowing them to retrieve all the content any Apple user worldwide has uploaded to the cloud. The British government’s undisclosed order, issued last month, requires blanket capability to view fully encrypted material, not merely assistance in cracking a specific account, and has no known precedent in major democracies. Its application would mark a significant defeat for tech companies in their decades-long battle to avoid being wielded as government tools against their users. The office of the Home Secretary has served Apple with a document called a technical capability notice, ordering it to provide access under the sweeping U.K. Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, which authorizes law enforcement to compel assistance from companies when needed to collect evidence. The law, known by critics as the Snoopers’ Charter, makes it a criminal offense to reveal that the government has even made such a demand. A consultant advising the United States on encryption matters deemed it shocking that the U.K. government was demanding Apple’s help to spy on non-British users without their governments’ knowledge. A former White House security adviser confirmed the existence of the British order. At issue is cloud storage that only the user, not Apple, can unlock. Apple started rolling out the option, which it calls Advanced Data Protection, in 2022. The service is an available security option for Apple users in the United States and elsewhere. (Source: MSN / The Washington Post = U.S.)

North America

United States
February 7, 2025  The decision by U.S. President Trump to freeze for 90 days the aid provided by Washington poses new challenges to rights groups in Russia and Belarus. The aid came directly from or via the partners of the U.S. Agency for International Development, ’as well as from other entities funded by the U.S. government’. 'Organizations could have done much more significant things if it weren’t for this situation', an activist with Center-T, a prominent Russian trans group, told. Center-T’s core staff moved abroad after the Russian Supreme Court designated what it called the LGBTQ+ movement as extremist, outlawing all LGBTQ+ activism. Center-T lost ’only a fraction’ of funding, because they ’almost didn’t have U.S. funding,’ its staffer said. Members of Russian and Belarusian rights groups and independent media organizations described varying effects of the action. Some said they don't know which of their partners are linked to U.S. aid and whether more will withdraw support. Many get funding elsewhere, like private donations. Some Russian organizations said they'll still operate but knew of others in bigger jeopardy. OVD-Info, a Russian rights group that tracks political arrests and offers legal aid, is largely funded by “private donations from a large number of people,” so the freeze “has little direct and immediate impact,” said OVD-Info spokesman Anisimov, but 'other groups that help it with certain activities' are affected. An editor of an independent Russian news outlet operating in exile cited ’crowdfunding’ as one reliable revenue sources. The outlet lost less than 10% of the budget in frozen grants. Kovcheg - Russian for “arc” - a group helping Russians fleeing abroad with shelter, legal and psychological support, training and other support, lost 30% of its budget, said its founder, Burakova. Kovcheg is more or less stable, thanks to crowdfunding and advertising, Burakova added. She formerly headed a legal aid group in St. Petersburg backed by exiled tycoon-turned-opposition-figure Khodorkovsky. Most Russian rights groups and independent news outlets have been designated as foreign agents by the Russian authorities - a label that turns potential donors away with its negative connotation. Russia has banned advertising with them. Others have also been labeled undesirable, a category that outlaws any dealings with groups so designated, exposing donors to prosecution. In light of the aid freeze, Khodorkovsky and Russian philanthropist Zimin this week offered $600,000 'to affected Russian and Ukrainian' projects. It's not clear how much U.S. aid Russian organizations were receiving. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said it was unable to comment. Pro-democracy forces from Belarus were receiving about $30 million U.S. aid, for over half of all of their Western funding, they told. It comes from both USAID, either directly or through 'partners, entities like the U.S.-government funded National Endowment for Democracy'. Dozens of nongovernmental organizations and several independent media groups are on the brink of closure, they said. ’Opposition leaders recently prepared a report for Western governments’, outlining the effects of the freeze - Belarus and Russia will likely fill the void by strengthening state propaganda and authoritarian control in Belarus. Out of 30 Belarusian media groups working abroad, six said they lost funding completely and are on the brink of closing. ’According to the opposition's report, $1.7 million in U.S. aid is frozen' – more than half of all foreign aid to independent media forced to flee Belarus’ after President Lukashenko unleashed a widespread crackdown on dissent in 2020. Now, small independent newsrooms are laying off employees. Dozens of media projects will inevitably cease. Resuming later is almost impossible. A YouTube show, A Regular Morning, with videos regularly drawing over 100,000 views, said it was shutting down but asked for donations and said it would keep going through March. Rights groups also are affected. 60-80 groups face possible mass layoffs, ending programs or closing for good. Programs to support political prisoners will be drastically cut, Belarusian youth will lose access to alternative educational programs, and activists will lose their platforms. There are over 1,200 political prisoners in Belarus. Viasna is the country’s leading human rights group, whose imprisoned founder Bialiatski won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. Thousands of activists, including some freed from prison, have moved abroad. ’Groups that received U.S. funding were helping them and their families”. Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled activist is urgently looking for ways to keep afloat the ’independent media and the civil society’ of Belarus, Viačorka, a senior aide to opposition leader told. There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the State Department’s European and Eurasian Bureau. (Source: ABC News – Australia /Associated Press – U.S.)

February 7, 2025  President Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba at the White House today and said the U.S. will have relations with North Korea, with Kim. (Source: Fox News – United States)

07 February, 2025  Trump sanctions the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to its issuing of arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 'Illegitimate Israel, US investigations' - referring to ICC probes into alleged war crimes by US service members in Afghanistan and Israeli troops in Gaza. He ordered asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their family members, along with anyone deemed to have helped the court's investigations. Neither the United States nor Israel are members of the court. (Source: The New Arab - Headquartered London, United Kingdom, owned by a Qatari company)

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Europe

Russia
February 6, 2025  Russian musician Stroykin, 58, was accused of donating money to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He potentially faced 20 years in prison if convicted of supporting the Ukrainian army, which is considered a terrorist organisation in Russia. Stroykin reportedly threw himself out of a 10th story window in St.Petersburg moments after police raided his home. Russian Telegram channels with links to the Kremlin reported his death, and said that, during the police raid on his house, Stroykin ‘went into a spare room, hastily opened a window and committed an irreversible act’. (Source: Metro - United Kingdom)

Asia

China
Feb 06, 2025  Today China has named combative diplomat and ex-ambassador to France, Mr Lu, 60, as Special Representative for European Affairs. He was making frequent combative statements during his five-year tenure as Beijing's envoy to Paris, which ended in December. Mr Lu will promote dialogue and cooperation with Europe and "contribute to the stable and healthy development of China-EU relations", ministry spokesperson Guo told. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he publicly called French analyst Bondaz a "crazed hyena" and "little rascal", while his embassy published an article falsely claiming that French nursing home staff abandoned patients to die of the coronavirus. In 2022, Mr Lu suggested during a television interview that Taiwanese people would undergo re-education after China takes over the democratic self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own. His 2023 claim that ex-Soviet states had no effective status in international law, angered numerous European Union member states. So far, there has been no sign of Mr Lu being publicly disciplined by Beijing for his remarks. Mr Lu’s appointment comes when China-Europe relations are at an inflection point, after US President Trump slapped 10 per cent tariffs on China and threatened tariffs on Europe last week as part of his 'isolationist' agenda. China hawks such as European Commission President Der Leyen are showing signs of willingness to rethink the relationship between Beijing and Brussels, a bond that had badly deteriorated over trade tensions and China's ties with Russia. In response, China's foreign ministry yesterday said it is willing to work with Brussels to respond to global challenges after Dr Der Leyen said on Feb 4 at Davos that both sides should find solutions of mutual interest - a marked shift in tone on China. Previously China's embassy in Paris said that Mr Lu’s comments on ex-Soviet states were "an expression of personal views", while the foreign ministry later distanced itself by saying that China respects the sovereign status of all ex-Soviet countries. (Source: The Straits Times - Singapore)

Israel
February 6, 2025  Israel’s defence minister ordered the army today to prepare a plan to allow the “voluntary departure” of residents from Gaza, Israeli media said. The instruction followed Trump’s announcement that the United States plans to take over Gaza, resettle the Palestinians living there and transform the territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. “Gaza residents should be allowed the freedom to leave and emigrate, as is the norm around the world,” Israel’s Channel 12 quoted Katz as saying. When asked who will take in the Palestinians, Israeli Defence Minister Katz said it should be countries who have opposed Israel’s military operations in Gaza. “Countries like Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others, which have levelled accusations and false claims against Israel over its actions in Gaza, are legally obligated to allow any Gaza resident to enter their territories,” he said. “Their hypocrisy will be exposed if they refuse to do so. There are countries like Canada, which has a structured immigration program, that have previously expressed a willingness to accept Gaza residents.” Since Jan. 25, Trump has repeatedly suggested that Palestinians in Gaza should be taken in by regional Arab nations such as Egypt and Jordan, an idea rejected by both the Arab states and Palestinian leaders. He has given no specifics of his proposal to take over Gaza. (Source: Business Recorder – Headquarters Karachi, Pakistan / Reuters - United ingdom)

February 06, 2025  Israel’s defence minister Katz says he has instructed the army to prepare plans for large numbers of Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip in line with President Donald Trump’s proposal. The plan “will include options for exit at land crossings as well as special arrangements for exit by sea and air”. Mr Gatz did not say whether Palestinians would be able to one day return to Gaza. US officials later said the relocation would only be temporary. Palestinians fear Israel would never allow them to return. US Secretary of State Rubio, on his first foreign trip as secretary of state, described Mr Trump’s proposal as a “very generous” offer to help with debris removal and reconstruction of the enclave following 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas. “In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it,” Mr Rubio said. “The president has made it clear that they need to be temporarily relocated out of Gaza,” White House press secretary Leavitt said, calling it currently “an uninhabitable place for human beings” and saying it would be “evil to suggest that people should live in such dire conditions”. Their comments contradicted Mr Trump, who earlier in the week had said: “If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people, permanently, in nice homes where they can be happy and not be shot and not be killed and not be knifed to death like what’s happening in Gaza.” He added that he envisioned “long-term” US ownership of a redevelopment of the territory, which sits along the Mediterranean Sea. In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon yesterday, Defence Secretary Hegseth said the military is “prepared to look at all options” for rebuilding Gaza. “We look forward to working with our allies, our counterparts, both diplomatically and militarily, to look at all options,” Mr Hegseth said. Mr Netanyahu also reiterated his praise for Trump: “It’s a remarkable idea and I think it should be really pursued. Examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone.” (Source: Irish News / Associated Press - Ireland)

Kashmir
Feb 6, 2025  Hamas representatives get VIP welcome in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir /Video/ (Source: India Today)

West Bank
February 6, 2025  The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that at least 70 people have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since the beginning of the year, including 10 children. The Israeli army’s ongoing assault on the occupied West Bank has displaced at least 26,000 Palestinians from their homes in the Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps since last month. (Source: Days of Palestine - ?)

North America

United States
February 5, 2025 The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) lays off staff, bracing for massive cuts programs - as much as 50% this year - after reductions in U.S. foreign assistance ordered by the Trump administration. CRS is the top recipient of funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development, known as USAID, which supplies about half of the Catholic organization's $1.5 billion budget. CRS received $4.6 billion in funding from USAID over a nine-year period (2013-2022 fiscal years), primarily for disaster assistance. In fiscal year 2023, per a 2024 audit, $521 million - came from U.S. government grants and agreements. CRS reaches more than 200 million people in 121 countries on five continents, according to its website. "We anticipate that we will be a much smaller overall organization by the end of this fiscal year," Callahan, president and CEO of CRS wrote. CRS received $493 million in donated non-financial assets (e.g., agricultural commodities, bed nets, pharmaceuticals, non-food items) at no cost from the U.S. government along with other partners like United Nations World Food Program and The Global Fund. CRS received $284 million in private support through donations, foundations and other means. It has already received notifications that some projects for which it is subrecipient have already been terminated and that more are coming. "It is not a thoughtful or humane way to go about treating programs that help the poorest of the poor all over the world," said Colecchi, director of the Office of International Justice and Peace for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2004 to 2018. In fiscal year 2024, USAID received more than $44 billion, which accounted for 0.4% of the entire federal budget, according to USAspending.gov. Church and faith-based organizations received less than 6% of USAID funding for nonprofit organizations, with more than half of those funds going to Catholic Relief Services, according to the Congressional Research Service. "A blanket freeze, even for a short period of time, means staff will have to be let go, programs will get interrupted and supply chains will be disrupted," Colecchi added. Among the programs and services provided by CRS: water and sanitation, education, agriculture, health, microfinancing, climate change resilience, as well as justice and peace-building programs in addition to emergency and disaster assistance. CRS had 7,000 employees worldwide as of 2018 when it marked its 75th anniversary. (Source: National Catholic Reporter, a progressive national newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.. NCR 'operates outside the authority of the Catholic Church')

February 6, 2025  The government had been paying news media outlets to generate positive coverage of Democrats, President Trump said on his Truth Social site. White House press secretary, Leavitt, yesterday was saying that more than $8 million had gone to buying Politico subscriptions. “The DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now,” she said. “We are going line by line when it comes to the federal government’s books.” Musk, the head of the team seeking to cut government spending, said yesterday that the payments were “not an efficient use of taxpayer funds.” Mr. Musk was responding to a user who noted a $517,855 payment in 2020 from the Food and Drug Administration for Politico Pro subscriptions. “This wasteful expenditure will be deleted,” he added. Mr Trump questioned if The New York Times and other outlets had also received payments as Politico, a “left wing rag”.“ „Billions of dollars” from U.S.A.I.D. and other agencies had improperly gone to the “fake news media.” In his all-caps post today, Mr. Trump wrote that this could be the biggest scandal of them all. (Source: Dnyuz – Armenia (?) / New York Times – U.S.)

06 February, 2025  US Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate have introduced bills to prohibit using the term "West Bank" in official US government documents, replacing it with "Judea and Samaria," to legitimise Israeli terminology in US politics. (Source: The New Arab - Headquarters London, United Kingdom. Owned by a Qatari company)

Feb 06, 2025  Yesterday United States Secretary of State Rubio has decided to skip the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) summit in South Africa. Rubio has publicly criticized South Africa for "expropriating private property" and promoting "solidarity, equality, & sustainability." He equated these concepts with diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and climate change initiatives. In a post on X , Rubio stated that his role is to "advance America's national interests," not waste taxpayer money or "coddle anti-Americanism." (Source: Newsbytes News Network - U.S.)

(Thursday), Feb. 6, 2025  'Last Thursday', Trump gathered his “whole confirmed team” of advisers and cabinet members focused on national security - from Vice President Vance to Treasury Secretary Bessent - in the Oval Office, where US envoy to Ukraine Kellogg said they discussed how to use all elements of national power to end the war. “We got the national security team talking about it - the president, vice president, national security adviser, secretaries of State [and] Treasury, National Security Council, working all together.” Sanctions enforcement on Russia are “only about a three” on a scale of one to 10 on how painful the economic pressure can be, Kellogg said. The US sanctions themselves - such as those targeting Russia’s lucrative energy sector - are nominally twice as high, but there is still room to ratchet them up. He lambasted former President Biden’s strategy of promising to provide Ukraine aid 'as long as it takes, as much as it takes' without cranking up the pressure on other elements of national power. “If you look at history, you’d never want to get into an attrition fight with the Russians, because that’s how they fight. They’re used to it. I mean, this is a country that was willing to lose - and did - 700,000 in the Battle of Stalingrad in six months, and they didn’t blink an eye.” “And so the pressure just can’t be military. You have to put economic pressure, you have to put diplomatic pressure, some type of military pressures and levers that you’re going to use underneath those to make sure [this goes] where we want it to go,” he explained. (Source: The New York Post - U.S.)

Oceania

Papua New Guinea
2025.02.06 Papua New Guinea farewells one of its founding fathers, former PM Sir Julius Chan (29 August 1939 – 30 January 2025)
/Photo/ (Source: BenarNews, an online news service affiliated with Radio Free Asia, which headquarters in Washington D.C., U.S.)

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Europe

Baltics
February 05 2025  Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are to disconnect from the Russian power grid at 07:00 GMT on Feb. 8. After, the three countries will operate in so-called "isolated mode" for about 24 hours to test their frequency, or power levels. The states join the western European power grid via Poland. A total of 1.6 billion euros ($1.7 billion) has been invested in the synchronization project across the Baltic states and Poland. Sales of generators have shot up in Estonia as some consumers worry about power cuts. (Source: Hurriyet Daily News - Turkey)

Bulgaria
(5 February 2025)  Bulgaria’s President Radev criticised the bloc’s leaders for encouraging Kyiv’s counteroffensive against Russia. “Why, instead of building solid defense lines to preserve its potential and territory, was Ukraine encouraged by many leaders to launch a counteroffensive with the utopian assurance of defeating Russia?” asked Radev at a conference in the Bulgarian capital, calling for leaders to “take responsibility” for the outcome. The president is the most popular political figure in Bulgaria, which has been led by a series of unstable governments in recent years. Radev has repeatedly called for a quick ceasefire and opposed providing weaponry to Ukraine and won two consecutive elections since 2016. “Why have we been constantly convinced that the collapse of the Russian economy is in a matter of months?” he asked, pointing to Ukraine’s loss of manpower and Europe’s lagging competitiveness as reasons for pessimism. Europe should insist on a “visible place” at the negotiating table in potential peace talks over Ukraine. It is time for the bloc’s leaders to “switch off the autopilot and take control” into their own hands, said Radev, a US-trained former air force commander. (Source: Luxembourg Times / Bloomberg – U.S.)

France
5 February 2025  Support for the two-state solution. France reiterates its opposition to any forced displacement of Gaza’s Palestinian population, France will continue to express its opposition to settlement activity – which is contrary to international law – and to any hint of the unilateral annexation of the West Bank. (Source: Le ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères - France)

European Commission
5 February 2025  Around 70% of Europeans regularly shop online, including on non-EU e-commerce platforms. In 2024, around 4.6 billion low-value consignments (worth €150 or less) entered the EU market. Many of these products were non-compliant with EU laws, raising concerns over harmful products entering the EU, unfair competition for compliant EU sellers, and the environmental impact of mass shipping. The Commission has proposed actions for safe and sustainable e-commerce: Customs reform; Reinforcing measures for imported goods; Protecting consumers on online marketplaces; Using digital tools; Enhancing environmental measures: Raising awareness; Boosting international cooperation and trade. The new initiatives aim to balance consumer protection, fair competition, and sustainability, while fostering a safe and high-quality e-commerce market in the EU. Within a year, the Commission will evaluate the effectiveness of these actions and may propose further measures if necessary. (Source: European Commission - Headquarters Brussels, Belgium)

European Union
05/02/2025  The EU's military mobility budget funded 95 projects in 21 member states and the EU allocated the entire €1.7 billion budget for the 2021-27 period by the end of 2023. The Commission has identified four military mobility corridors across the EU. (Source: Euronews - Headquarters Lyon, France)

(5 February 2025)  The EU is planning to hit Silicon Valley with retaliatory measures if President Trump follows through on threats to impose tariffs on the bloc. (Source: Financial Times - headquarters London, England)

Georgia
05.02.2025  At a plenary session, Georgia’s parliament voted to strip 49 opposition MPs of their mandates. The parliament, which was originally supposed to have 150 members, is now reduced to 101. Georgian Parliament Speaker Papuashvili defended the decision as a fair, constitutional, and lawful response and claimed that opposition MPs in the previous parliament had not worked a single day in office. (Source: JAMnews - a project of Go Group, based in Tbilisi, Georgia. Its major donor is the European Endowment for Democracy which receives funding mainly from the European Commission).

Ukraine
05/02/2025  Russia's defence ministry said it had swapped 150 captured Ukrainian troops for the return of 150 Russians held by Kyiv. Its troops were undergoing medical checks in allied Belarus before returning to Russia, it said. (Source: France24 / AFP - France)

Africa

Democratic Republic of Congo
Feb 05, 2025  Rwanda-backed M23 rebels last week captured regional capital Goma. On January 27 morning hundreds of female inmates were attacked in their wing inside Goma’s Munzenze prison. The area for women was set on fire. (Source: Hindustan Times - India)

Egypt
February 5, 2025  Arab foreign ministers from Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt issued a statement rejecting US President Trump's proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan during a meeting of the Arab League in Cairo on February 3. The foreign ministers along with the Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the Secretary-General of the Arab League, met in Cairo, released a joint statement outlining key agreements as Isreali Prime Minister met with Trump in Washington. (Source: bne IntelliNews - Germany)

Asia

Syria
Wednesday, 5 February 2025  Turkish president Erdoğan and Syrian interim president Jolani met in Ankara. The central topic was the democratic autonomous administration of North-East Syria, which Erdoğan wants to see dismantled. Erdoğan has offered Jolani cooperation in the fight against terrorism. Turkey is occupying large areas near the Syrian-Turkish border together with jihadist militia. /Source: Firat News Agency (ANF) - a Kurdish news agency. Headquarters Amsterdam, Netherlands/

North America

United States
February 5, 2025  The Central Intelligence Agency offered buyouts to its entire workforce yesterday, citing an aim to bring the agency in line with U.S. President Trump's priorities. It is in line with a massive makeover of the U.S. government embarked on by the Trump administration, which has fired and sidelined hundreds of civil servants in first steps toward downsizing the bureaucracy and installing loyalists. Ratcliffe, a former member of the House of Representatives who served as Director of National Intelligence during Trump's first term, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as director of the CIA days after Trump took office for his second term. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

February 5, 2025  Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu met with US President Trump to discuss post-war Gaza real estate development. Trump announced plans for American control and redevelopment of the Gaza Strip, potentially changing the face of the region. “The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too," Trump declared at the White House. “I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East,” Trump explained. “This was not a decision made lightly. Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent.” The proposal includes American oversight of unexploded ordnance removal and reconstruction efforts. When questioned about potential US military deployment to fill any security vacuum, Trump left the possibility open. His vision for transforming the area into what he called a new “Riviera,” come as Israeli architecture firm Harey Zahav's "Golden Mountains" previously mockingly announced plans to redevelop the Gaza coastline, uploading pictures onto their social media in 2024. President Trump addressed the potential resettlement of Gaza's approximately 1.8mn residents, expressing his belief that Egypt and Jordan “won’t tell him no.” "I want to remove all the residents of Gaza," he stated. “It will happen.” “Look, the Gaza thing has not worked. It's never worked. And I feel very differently about Gaza than a lot of people. I think they should get a good, fresh, beautiful piece of land, and we get some people to put up the money to build it and make it nice and make it habitable and enjoyable,” Trump had previously stated regarding the living conditions of Gazans following the war with Israel. He added that they appear to have no feasible alternative living arrangement aside from relocation, adding: “What do they have? It is a big pile of rubble right now. I mean, have you seen the pictures of it? Have you been there? It's terrible to live. Who can live like that?” Trump then outlined his vision for a complete transformation of the territory, stating that he wants to “resettle people permanently in nice homes and where they can be happy and not be shot, not be killed.” “I don't think people should be going back to Gaza,” he continued, describing current living conditions as “hell.” While he later suggested that Palestinians could be among future residents, he claimed that this would not be a permanent arrangement. On the hot-button issue of West Bank annexation, the US president stated: “I'm not going to talk about that”. Still, he addressed the relatively small size of Israel, explaining: “It certainly is a small, it’s a small country in terms of land.” He then picked up a pen and displayed it to the journalists present, stating: “See this pen? This wonderful pen on my desk is the Middle East, and the top of the pen, that’s Israel.” (Source: bne IntelliNews - Germany)

Feb 5, 2025  Amid Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the US, President Trump has refuted reports suggesting that Washington is working in cahoots with the Jewish nation to 'blow Iran into smithereens'. Trump clarified that such speculation is "greatly exaggerated". "I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper," he said. Netanyahu visited the White House yesterday. Trump reiterated that he wants "Iran to be a great and successful country, but one that can't have a nuclear weapon". "Think of it like two kids fighting in the schoolyard. Sometimes you have to just let it go a little bit, we'll see what happens," the Republican had said last year. President Trump said yesterday that he’s given his advisers instructions to obliterate Iran if it assassinates him. (Source: India Today)

Earth

05 Feb 2025  Musk’s SpaceX’s Starship rocket in mid-January may have released significant amounts of harmful air-pollution into the Earth’s atmosphere. The rocket’s upper stage blew up at an altitude of around 90 miles and rained scorching fragments of metal across the Caribbean. This was SpaceX’s seventh test flight. The uncrewed test flight was destroyed less than ten minutes after its launch from Texas on January 16. It was intended to soar across the Gulf of Mexico on a near loop around the world. However, instead it plunged back to Earth through the atmosphere and may have generated 45 metric tons of metal oxides and 40 metric tons of nitrogen oxides. In particular, nitrogen oxides are known for their potential to damage Earth’s protective ozone layer. (Source: Daily Star - United Kingdom)

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Europe

Germany
04 Feb 2025     The US is the largest trading partner of Germany outside of Europe, and Germany has a trade surplus of €67 billion. Germany must prepare for a trade war with Trump and learn from Canada’s determined response. Simply fantasizing about a free trade agreement with the US, as CDU leader Merz does, will be far from sufficient as a reaction, it is currently pure wishful thinking. As the cases of Canada and Mexico show, even a free trade agreement does not protect against Trump’s overreach. The economic strain of a tariff war on Germany and all other EU economies will be enormous. This highlights the vulnerability of Germany’s export-driven economy, which suffers from weak domestic demand.    Germany and Europe should muster a robust response inspired by Canada. Prime Minister Trudeau has announced counter-tariffs of 25% on over $100 billion worth of US goods. Additionally, he has hinted at restrictions on the export of critical raw materials and oil essential for US production - ways that increase inflation and negatively impact pro-Trump states. After all, Trump has promised low inflation and a booming economy. He may be vulnerable to increasing inflation. Trump agreed to a 30 day freeze on the tariffs after Mexican president Sheinbaum and Trudeau both vowed to implement counter-tariffs. The EU Commission has already prepared a list of goods for counter-tariffs that would hit the US economy, particularly in Trump-friendly states. (Source: Global Public Policy Institute - based in Berlin and Geneva)
by Brenner

Sweden
February 4, 2025  About 10 people, including the gunman, are dead in a shooting at an adult education center called Campus Risbergska on the outskirts of the city of Orebro, located about 200 kilometers west of Stockholm. (Source: NPR / The Associated Press = U.S.)

European Union
2/4/2025  'Populist' parties across the EU have gained significantly in popularity over the last decade, with the rise in prominence of Germany's AfD party and France's National Rally - both of which, after undeniable electoral successes, now wield considerable influence over the respective policy directions of their national governments. Euroskepticism and anti-immigration sentiment was largely fueled by public dissatisfaction with the EU's response to undocumented migration to the continent. Forthcoming elections in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic could see 'populist anti-EU' parties gain more ground this year, but 'anti-EU' governments will remain well short of the blocking minority needed in the European Council to seriously upset EU decision-making. "Where they are in government, they have tended to shift toward the political center, with the notable exception of Hungary. Much of the 'far right's' prospects will therefore depend on whether governments can find more effective ways to deal with the slow-burning migration crisis that is the strongest driver of populist support in the EU, analysts said. So-called strongman leaders of Europe - most of whom are allied with the likes of U.S. President Trump and Russia's Putin and often rejecting directives from the European Union - look increasingly weak, analysts say. The leaders of Hungary and Slovakia are often put in the same genre of nationalist, ’right-wing’ and strongman leadership. Forthcoming elections mean anti-EU populist leaders could face their biggest challenge yet. Trump's inauguration was expected to give a shot in the arm to nationalist-populist leaders and parties such as Hungary's Viktor Orbán, Slovakia's Robert Fico, Germany's right-wing AfD party and Le Pen and her National Rally party in France. But domestic pressures and economic challenges weigh on their popularity and power. European Union members  Hungary and Slovakia have pushed back against the bloc's initiatives reducing imports of Russian gas and oil. The nations have instead opted to maintain supplies 'amid fears of mounting energy costs at home'. Despite the opposition's withdrawal of a no-confidence motion earlier in January, last week Prime Minister Robert Fico saw his governing coalition lose its majority in parliament after four MPs withdrew their support. Fico faced some of the largest public protests since 1989 in opposition to his government's increasingly pro-Russian foreign policy. More demonstrations are planned this week. In the meantime, the latest opinion polls show that opposition Progressive Slovakia has overtaken SMER-SSD (Fico's 'left-wing populist' party). 'In Hungary, Fico's ally Orbán is under increasing domestic pressure this year, with the rapid increase in popularity of opposition leader Magyar and his Tisza Party. Various opinion polls since November have showed Tisza pulling ahead of Orbán's Fidesz party, with 35%-45% support among decided voters - about four to six percentage points ahead of Fidesz. If that trend continues, anti-EU populist Orbán could lose the 2026 election’. Orbán and Fidesz's media are emphasizing his international and diplomatic importance through his contacts with Trump, Russian President Putin, and Chinese President Xi, as well as his peace efforts in the Ukraine war and the great diplomatic achievements of Hungary's EU presidency. But Orbán is facing his most difficult year since first coming to power in 2010. This will further undermine his ability 'to hijack' - let alone drive - the EU's agenda as the bloc's preeminent populist leader. (Source: MSN / CNBC – Headquarters Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey = U.S.)

South Caucasus
February 4, 2025  The three countries of the South Caucasus - Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia - hold wildly different expectations and have dramatically divergent strategies to deal with the incoming Trump Administration. (Source: bne IntelliNews - Germany)
By Giragosian, director of the Regional Studies Center (RSC) in Yerevan, Armenia.

Ukraine
04/02/2025  A Russian ballistic missile killed five and injured more than 50 in the town of Izium in Kharkiv region. The missile also partially destroyed the city council building. (Source: France24 / Reuters - United Kingdom)

(4 February 2025)  Russian forces are closing in the industrial city of Pokrovsk – they are now less than 2km away. Very few residents – mostly elderly – remain, as they wait for Pokrovsk to fall. There are around 7,000 people still there. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

Tuesday 04 February 2025  Mapped. US president Trump has announced he wants Ukraine to pay for financial and military support by affording Washington access to the country’s vast but untapped rare earth minerals. He said yesterday he wants “equalisation” from Ukraine for the US’ “close to $300 billion” in support. Ukrainian mineral deposits are worth more than £12 trillion, including lithium and titanium, much of which is untapped. The Crimean peninsula also holds roughly £165 billion worth of minerals. More than 50 per cent of critical rare earth mineral resources are in regions annexed by Putin and partially occupied by his forces. The region of Dnipropetrovsk, which borders the largely occupied regions of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, and sits in the face of an advancing Russian army, contains an additional £2.8 trillion in mineral resources. In 2021 President Zelensky offered outside investors tax breaks and investment rights to help mine these minerals. He then placed the mining of these minerals into his victory plan, drawn up last year. The minerals are vital for electric vehicles, other clean energy efforts, as well as defence production. Foreign Policy found that Ukraine held “commercially relevant deposits of 117 of the 120 most-used industrial minerals across more than 8,700 surveyed deposits”. Included in that is half a million tonnes of lithium, none of which has been tapped. This makes Ukraine the largest lithium resource in Europe. (Source: Independent - United Kingdom)

Asia

China
2025.02.04  China imposed counter tariffs against multiple U.S. products today, while also launching an investigation into Google on suspicion of violating antitrust laws, as U.S. tariffs on China came into effect. China’s finance ministry said it was imposing additional tariffs of 15% on coal and liquified natural gas imports from the U.S. and 10% higher duties on American crude oil, farm equipment and certain cars, from Feb. 10. In a separate statement, the Chinese commerce ministry and customs officials announced export controls on a range of items related to certain critical minerals, including tungsten, tellurium, ruthenium, molybdenum and ruthenium. The foreign ministry added fentanyl was “a U.S. problem,” saying that at the request of the United States, China was the first country in the world to officially regulate all fentanyl-related substances in 2019. (Source: Radio Free Asia - Headquarters Washington, D.C.)

North America

United States
Feb. 4, 2025  “The first flights from the United States to Guantanamo Bay with illegal migrants are under way,” White House press secretary Leavitt said. The administration has said it would expand operations there to hold up to 30,000. The base is now equipped to hold 120 migrants. Roughly 200 Marines were dispatched to Guantanamo in recent days. That number is expected to rise to 500 in the coming days. (Source: The Wall Street Journal - U.S.)

February 4, 2025  The Trump administration prioritizes stopping people from making the journey to the United States and has worked with regional countries to boost immigration enforcement on their borders as well as to accept deportees from the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said late yesterday that El Salvador's president has offered to accept and incarcerate deportees from the U.S. of any nationality, currently imprisoned in the U.S. President Bukele confirmed the offer in a social media post, saying El Salvador was willing to rehouse deportees and American prisoners in exchange for a fee in a two-year-old mega-prison (CECOT) he had built as potent symbol of his crackdown on criminal gangs. The massive facility sits on the edge of a jungle about 45 miles southeast of San Salvador. It has a capacity for 40,000 inmates but only about 15,000 currently estimated to be incarcerated there. The Trump administration had no current plans to try to deport American citizens. The agreement Rubio described for El Salvador to accept foreign nationals arrested in the United States for violating U.S. immigration laws is known as a "safe third country" agreement. Officials have suggested this might be an option for Venezuelan gang members convicted of crimes in the United States should Venezuela refuse to accept them. Panama has been more cooperative and has allowed flights of third-country deportees to land and sent migrants back before they reach the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Rubio’s five-nation Central American tour of Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic continues after Panama and El Salvador. (Source: CBS News, Headquarters New York / AP = U.S.)

February 4, 2025  US President Trump has invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the White House next week. A C-17 aircraft had departed for India with migrants aboard. The Pentagon has also started providing flights to deport more than 5,000 immigrants held by US authorities in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California. So far, military aircraft have flown migrants to Guatemala, Peru and Honduras. The military flights are a costly way to transport migrants. A military deportation flight to Guatemala last week likely cost at least $4,675 per migrant. (Source: Gulf Today - United Arab Emirates)

2025.02.04  Pause tariffs on Canada, Mexico. Trump imposed a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico over fentanyl smuggling and what Trump says is their failure to stop the flow of cross-border migrants. But Trump agreed yesterday to pause the tariffs on Canada and Mexico for a month as the two countries unveiled new plans to fend off drug trafficking on their borders with the U.S. After a call with Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Canada would implement a C$1.3 billion (US$893 million) border plan, including reinforcing it with new helicopters, technology and personnel to stop the flow of fentanyl. Nearly 10,000 front-line personnel will work on protecting the border and Canada will appoint a “Fentanyl Czar,” list cartels as terrorists, ensure “24/7 eyes” on the border and launch a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering. “Canada has agreed to ensure we have a secure Northern Border, and to finally end the deadly scourge of drugs like Fentanyl that have been pouring into our Country, killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, while destroying their families and communities all across our Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Separately, Trump announced that Mexican President Sheinbaum agreed to immediately deploy 10,000 soldiers to the border to stop the flow of fentanyl and illegal migrants into the U.S. We attempt to achieve a deal between our two countries, the U.S. president said. (Source: Radio Free Asia - Headquarters Washington, D.C.)

February 04, 2025  The  U.S. warship Preble, which is currently deployed in the Western Pacific Ocean, armed with a 60-kilowatt high-energy laser weapon - the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS), developed by U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin - was pictured firing its laser at a drone target. Preble is the only U.S. destroyer armed with a high-energy laser weapon. /Photo/ (Source: Miami Herald)

February 4, 2025  RFK Jr. made promises to win key Senator's vote. Sen. Cassidy said he received numerous pledges from Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration to protect medicine and science - particularly regarding vaccines - that clinched his support for the HHS secretary nominee. Cassidy said Kennedy and the administration promised an "unprecedentedly close collaborative working relationship" that includes the two of them meeting or speaking "multiple times a month." They also said that Kennedy could appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee - which Cassidy currently chairs - quarterly if requested. Most of the pledges revolved around vaccines, including that Kennedy will work within current approval and safety monitoring systems, and not establish parallel systems. He'll also maintain recommendations from CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) without changes, and statements that vaccines don't cause autism won't be removed from the CDC website. Kennedy will also not use "subversive techniques ... like sue-and-settle to change policies enacted by Congress without first going through Congress," Cassidy said. He also noted that Kennedy asked for his input on hiring decisions at HHS beyond Senate-confirmed positions. Both Kennedy and the administration "committed to a strong role of Congress," Cassidy said, in part through the meetings with the HELP Committee. The committee chair will also be able to choose a representative on any board or commission formed to review vaccine safety. In addition, HHS will provide a 30-day notice to the committee if it seeks to make changes to any federal vaccine safety monitoring programs, and the committee will be able to call a hearing on any potential changes to these programs, Cassidy said. "If Mr. Kennedy is confirmed, I will use my authority as chairman of the Senate committee with oversight of HHS to rebuff any attempt to remove the public's access to life-saving vaccines without iron-clad, causational scientific evidence that can be accepted and defended before the mainstream scientific community and before Congress," Cassidy said. "I will watch carefully for any effort to wrongfully sow public fear about vaccines between confusing references of coincidence and anecdote. But my support is built on assurances that this will not have to be a concern, and that he and I can work together to build an agenda to make America healthy again." During a press briefing today, Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said that he was skeptical that Cassidy and Congress would have much say in Kennedy's decisions. "Is he going to pick up the phone and call the senator every time he's about to make a controversial decision? I don't think so," Benjamin told reporters. "Even if he does, whose opinion weighs more?" he asked, referring to President Trump. (Source: ABC News - U.S.)

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United States
3 February 2025  Project 2025: a product of the Heritage Foundation, one of Washington's most prominent ’right-wing’ think tanks.     Heritage has been influential during Republican presidencies. It first produced policy plans for future Republican administrations in 1981, when Reagan was about to take office. It has produced similar documents in connection with subsequent presidential elections, including in 2016, when Trump first won the presidency. One year into Trump's first term, the think tank boasted that the White House had adopted nearly two-thirds of its proposals. Project 2025 is a 900-page policy "wish list", a set of proposals that would expand presidential power and ’impose an ultra-conservative social vision’. It lays out one vision of how Trump might govern over the next four years. It was unveiled in April 2023, but went largely unnoticed outside of policy circles until the heat of the presidential campaign, when Democratic opposition to the document ramped up. Democratic politicians launched a "Stop Project 2025 Task Force" and even set up a tip line to collect insider information on Heritage's activities. During his campaign, Trump repeatedly disavowed Project 2025, after a backlash over some of its more radical ideas. He began actively pushing away from the document in July 2024. The team that created the project was chock-full of former Trump advisers, including director Dans, who was chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management while Trump was president. Dans later left the project. But Trump has nominated several of its authors to fill key government positions, and many of his initial executive orders closely follow proposals outlined in the document. Vought wrote a key chapter in the document and served as the Republican National Committee’s 2024 platform policy director. Vought, who served in Trump's first administration, was again nominated by the president to lead the Office of Budget Management, which administers the $6.75tn federal budget. Other Project 2025 authors nominated to government positions include Ratcliffe, Trump's pick to lead the CIA; Carr, chosen to oversee the Federal Communications Commission; Homan, Trump's "border czar"; Atkins, nominated to head the Securities and Exchange Commission; and trade advisor Navarro. More than 100 conservative organisations contributed to the document, Heritage says, including many that will now be hugely influential in Washington. Some of the proposals have already formed the basis for Trump's executive orders - although in a number of cases they are also mentioned in other policy documents, including the Republican platform and Trump's Agenda47 campaign manifesto.     The document itself sets out four main policy aims: restore the family as the centrepiece of American life; dismantle the administrative state; defend the nation's sovereignty and borders; and secure God-given individual rights to live freely.    Project 2025 proposes that the entire federal bureaucracy, including independent agencies such as the Department of Justice, be placed under direct presidential control - idea known as "unitary executive theory". In practice, that would streamline decision-making, allowing the president to directly implement policies in a number of areas. The proposals also call for eliminating job protections for thousands of government employees, who could then be replaced by political appointees. The document labels the FBI a "bloated, arrogant, increasingly lawless organization". It calls for drastic overhauls of the agency and several others, as well as the complete elimination of the Department of Education. Trump intends to take a sledgehammer to the federal government as it currently stands - a goal broadly in line with Project 2025 suggestions. Shortly after being sworn in, Trump moved to eliminate job protections for career civil servants, and freeze federal spending. Through Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, the White House has moved to chop billions in federal spending. DOGE is not an official government department, but rather an outside team advising Trump with broad authority from the president.   The mentions of abortion in Project 2025 are about 200 of them. The document does not call for an outright nationwide abortion ban, and Trump says he would not sign such a law. He has generally said that abortion laws should mostly be left to individual states. It proposes withdrawing the abortion pill mifepristone from the market, and using existing but little-enforced laws to stop the drug being sent through the post. During confirmation hearings, Trump's nominee for health secretary, Kennedy Jr, said the president had ordered him to examine the safety record of mifepristone and left open the possibility of further regulation of the drug. Trump also issued an executive order designed to stop federal funds being used for abortion, a move that was outlined in detail in the Project 2025 document. The Project 2025 document proposes new data collection efforts on abortion and more generally suggests that the department of Health and Human Services should "maintain a biblically based, social science-reinforced definition of marriage and family".    Increased funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border - one of Trump's signature proposals in 2016 - is proposed in the document. But Trump's signature immigration policy - a pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants - is not spelled out in any detail in Project 2025, calling on Trump to "thoroughly enforce immigration laws". In the main chapter dealing with immigration, Project 2025 authors suggest dismantling the Department of Homeland Security and combining it with other immigration enforcement units in other agencies, creating a much larger and more powerful border policing operation.    Other proposals include eliminating visa categories for crime and human trafficking victims, increasing fees on immigrants and allowing fast-tracked applications for migrants who pay a premium. Mass deportations, visa changes or a longer, taller border wall was Trump's top pitch to voters. On this issue, his administration promises to go in a slightly different direction - and potentially much further - than the Project 2025 proposals.    Energy policy is a broad area of agreement between Trump and the Project 2025 proposals, summed up by one of the president's campaign slogans: "Drill, baby, drill". The new administration wants to ramp up fossil fuel production and has taken the US out of the Paris Agreement on climate change, which seeks to limit emissions and global warming. Project 2025 proposes slashing federal money for research and investment in renewable energy. It calls for the next president to "stop the war on oil and natural gas" - ideas that the Trump campaign has enthusiastically taken up. The document sets out two competing visions on tariffs: one suggesting boosting free trade and another pro-tariff position. Trump has clearly sided with the latter camp, announcing import taxes targeting Canada, Mexico and China. The economic advisers of Project 2025 suggest that a second Trump administration should slash corporate and income taxes, abolish the Federal Reserve and even consider a return to gold-backed currency. The president’s economic talk in the early days of his administration has been dominated by tariffs.    Almost immediately upon taking office, Trump moved to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs and decreed that government departments would recognise only two genders. Those moves are broadly in line with Project 2025, which took aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and gender terminology as part of what it describes as a wider crackdown on "woke" ideology. The document also calls for greater school choice - essentially subidising religious and private schools with public funds - which was also the subject of an early Trump executive order. It calls for abolishing the Department of Education, another idea that Trump has signalled he supports. Project 2025 suggests banning pornography and shutting down tech and telecoms companies that allow access to adult material. Trump's views on the tech industry have regularly shifted, and don't appear to have much to do with sexual content. The new administration has drawn support from a number of top tech bosses.    The writing of Project 2025 was backed by a $22m budget from Heritage. It includes strategies for implementing policies, such as the creation of a database of conservative loyalists to fill government positions, and a programme to train those new workers. There are clear areas of agreement and overlapping personnel. Many of the themes of Project 2025 were independently being touted by the Trump campaign. It's very early in Trump's second term, and still unclear how far the president will be able to go in reshaping the vast US federal government. Many of the president's executive orders and other actions will continue to face political and legal challenges. (BBC - United Kingdom)

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Europe

Belgium
03/02/2025  Flemish conservative Bart De Wever, 54, the former mayor of Antwerp since 2013 was sworn today of office before King Philippe at the royal palace in Brussels as Belgium's new prime minister, after seven months of negotiations to reach a coalition deal that shifts the country to the right. De Wever has pledged to crack down on irregular migration. His N-VA party is part of the 'hard-right' ECR group in the European Parliament, which also includes lawmakers from the parties of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Czech leader Petr Fiala. The new government brings together three parties from Dutch-speaking Flanders: the N-VA, the centrist Christian-Democrats and the leftist Vooruit (Onward). And it includes two from French-speaking Wallonia: the centrist Les Engages and the centre-right Reformist Movement. Together, they hold an 81-seat majority in Belgium's 150-seat parliament. (Source: France24 / AFP = France)

Finland
03.02.2025  The Finnish Foreign Ministry said in a press release that it published an information package on its website for those planning or considering traveling to serve as volunteer fighters on the side of Kyiv. The package provides guidelines for various issues and circumstances, including being wounded, killed, or missing in action, or becoming a prisoner of war. “In my opinion, the authors of such ‘instructions’ were guided by nothing but hatred for their own citizens and disregard for their fate. Who in the Finnish government hates the Finns so much?” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova said. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Germany
3 February 2025  Job market shrinks, German unemployment hits almost 3 million. (Source: Brussel's Signal)

Poland
03.02.2025  Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country holds the EU's rotating six-month presidency said during an informal summit of EU leaders in Brussels today that the EU must offer a 'firm and united' response to US President Trump’s tariff threats. He also said he would try to convince all European leaders 'against limiting or eliminating the spending of European money on American weapons'. This is not about 'sucking up to someone in Washington,' he said, but about 'finally taking security seriously as our top priority.' (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

3 February 2025  The Polish parliamentary committee investigating the purchase and use of Pegasus spyware by the former Conservative (PiS) government has voted to have former PiS justice minister Ziobro incarcerated for 30 days. The Constitutional Court had previously issued an injunction against further committee proceedings. The centre-left Tusk government’s opinion is that the Constitutional Court was improperly constituted and therefore its decisions were null and void. (Source: Brussel's Signal)

European Commission
03.02.2025     'The EU is Ukraine's largest overall donor. We have contributed over 134 billion euro, including close to 50 billion in military aid,' said High Representative/Vice-President Kallas in her opening speech at EU Ambassadors Conference 2025. 'I want us to find further financing solutions for Ukraine. We have clear understanding what we want to deliver: Ukraine’s defence for Europeans’ defence,' she added.   And: "Where we have common interests, there is a space for cooperation: Maintaining and strengthening our alliances with like-minded countries; Pursuing peace in the Middle East; And nurturing mutually beneficial partnerships; And with a team that pulls together, we can deliver on our priorities, grow our geopolitical role, and strengthen our greatest asset as the most predictable, reliable and credible partner in the world'. (Source: European External Action Service - Headquarters Brussels, Belgium)

European Union
(Monday), February 03, 2025  The European Union leaders gather today and are expected to discuss what military capabilities they need in the coming years, how they could be funded and how they might co-operate more through joint projects. Costa, the president of the European Council of EU leaders, has billed the one-day gathering as a "retreat" devoted to defence policy rather than a formal summit, aiming for an open discussion without any official declaration or decisions. The first session focuses on geopolitics and relations with the United States, meaning Trump's weekend move on tariffs. Trump will also be a major factor in the talks on defence. He has said Nato's European members should spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence - a figure no member of the alliance including the United States currently reaches. Trump's call for EU member Denmark to cede Greenland to the United States has also added strains to transatlantic ties. "Europe needs to assume greater responsibility for its own defence," Costa said in a letter to the leaders. "It needs to become more resilient, more efficient, more autonomous and a more reliable security and defence actor." The funding discussion will be especially tough, as many European countries have little room in their public finances for big spending hikes. The Baltic states and France, advocate joint EU borrowing to spend on defence. Germany and the Netherlands are staunchly opposed. European countries have ramped up defence spending in recent years. Last year, they spent an average of 1.9 per cent of GDP on defence - about 326 billion euros. That is a 30 per cent increase from 2021. Warsaw is leading the pack at more than 4.1 per cent. Italy and Spain spend much less - about 1.5 per cent and 1.3 per cent respectively. The leaders of the EU's 27 nations will lunch with Nato Secretary General Rutte and dine with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. (Source: AsiaOne - Singapore / Reuters - United Kingdom)

Russia
Mon, Feb 3 2025  After U.S. President imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, provoking alarm among European allies, Putin warned on the Rossiya-1 state TV channel that Europe will quickly “stand at the feet of the master”, „all of them will wag their tails a little” and that Trump’s second administration would “restore order” in Europe. * European leaders are gathering today, with the threat of tariffs likely to be high on the agenda. The key theme of the meeting is strengthening their defense strategy. President Trump said tariffs on the European Union could follow pretty soon, but said there could be a deal with the U.K. which has a more balanced trading relationship with its trans-Atlantic ally. Trump has already warned European leaders that they need to be responsible for their own security, lambasting NATO allies for not meeting defense spend commitments and saying last month that he could ask them to spend even more on defense. “You know, there are many tensions there, so, of course, we have no desire to be associated with all this in any way or to evaluate it in any way,” Kremlin press secretary Peskov told in his daily press briefing. The European Commission yesterday was stating that it would ’respond firmly’ to any U.S. duties. Moscow has expressed hopes that its own relationship with the U.S. could improve under Trump. Putin and Trump have had cordial relations in the past, with both leaders expressing admiration for each other, previously. Russia stands to benefit from U.S. tariffs on its trading partners as they are likely to suffer a steep economic hit. The tariffs also sow disarray among erstwhile allies - partners who, like the U.S. under former President Biden, have looked to weaken Russia’s leadership and economy with punitive measures designed to stymy Moscow’s economic and geopolitical power. The U.S.′ allies in Europe ’fear’ the president will stop U.S. military funding for Ukraine and could push Kyiv into peace talks to end the war. Putin said last month that he hoped he and Trump could meet soon to discuss the war and energy prices. If Trump pulls U.S. funding for Ukraine, Europe will have to confront a decision whether to shoulder the financial burden of Ukraine alone. A number of leaders - particularly those in Eastern Europe who are seen to be on friendlier terms with the Kremlin - are already skeptical of more sanctions on Russia and funding for Ukraine. Criticizing his European counterparts yesterday, Putin said European leaders on the Continent lacked conviction in their beliefs. Praising former European leaders such as France’s De Gaulle, Chirac and Germany’s Schroeder, Putin said such leaders had their own opinion and the courage to fight for this opinion, to express it, to talk about it and to try to at least implement it in practical work. Today, there are practically no such people there, Putin said, RIA Novosti reported. (Source: CNBC – U.S.)
* "The comments were reported by state news agency RIA Novosti and translated by Google."

February 3, 2025  During a December 2022 meeting at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Former Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhnyi proposed a plan for an offensive on Russia’s Belgorod, Major General Nazarov said. Nazarov served as Zaluzhnyi’s chief adviser and later as his consultant. The plan involved taking control of Belgorod city itself. (Source: Meduza - Headquarters Riga, Latvia)

Ukraine
February 3, 2025  The electricity front of Russia's war against Ukraine.   From 2011 to 2022, the successive disengagement from Russian energy structures and systems served to further increase tensions with Russia. By February 2022, Ukraine had only one remaining requirement for gaining membership in the European grid: to demonstrate that it could operate its domestic grid reliably in isolation for a week. This “de-linking” (from Russia, Belarus, and Poland) had been previously scheduled for Feb. 24. Since the full-scale invasion began the same day and Ukraine went ahead with de-linking despite the attack, Ukraine’s grid continued to operate in isolation until it was accepted permanently into the European electricity grid on March 16, 2022. The revenue and status Ukraine derived from those exports from March 2022 through August 2022 were significant factors in the Russian decision to increase shelling of the substations and power lines associated with the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.   Russia is close to achieving a decisive edge on the energy front of the Russo–Ukrainian war, leaving Ukraine’s damaged electrical grid 70 percent reliant on three complexes of nuclear reactors. The national grid is connected by 103 substations, a vital part of the entire system. On Nov. 28, attacks against four substations forced a temporary shutdown of one of the four reactors at the Rivne complex. Russia compelled the closure of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant using similar means in September 2022, and Ukraine closed the facility. Russia declared that it had taken control of the shuttered plant on Oct. 5, 2022. It remains in Russian hands today. Since the closure of that facility on Sep. 12, 2022, Ukraine has become a net importer of electricity, regularly petitioning the European grid system for higher import volumes and more infrastructure.   The International Atomic Energy Agency became involved in the war on the second day of the invasion. As of Jan. 23, 2025, there had been 271 statements on the situation in Ukraine. Due to the fear of an accident with local and international implications, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States are likely to join with the International Atomic Energy Agency in insisting on shutting down any of Ukraine’s nuclear power plant complexes if they - or the grid to which they are connected - fail to meet international safety standards. The E.U. – Ukraine Association Agreement states, in Article 342, that Ukraine must cooperate with International Atomic Energy Agency principles and standards for nuclear safety. With the agency monitoring on the ground and releasing regular press statements, there will be little room for Ukraine to negotiate.   The best measure Ukraine can take to avoid grid collapse is to concentrate air defense systems on protecting the key substations.    After a year of near-constant attacks, the grid operator, Ukrenergo, had to suspend payments in November 2024 for electricity imports. Large urban areas rapidly become ungovernable without electricity. A loss of electricity puts water, sewage, and heat at risk, increasing the likelihood of large-scale population displacement. An estimated 6.8 million refugees have already left Ukraine, with an additional 4.0 million internally displaced. Germany is hosting over 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees and Poland is already hosting over 900.000. An additional nine European countries are hosting between 100,000 and 900,000 each. A second wave of refugees would strain the resources. A grid collapse, should it occur, would reflect the ongoing role played by energy in this war. Ukraine’s survival now turns not on megatons, but on megawatts. (Source: War on the Rocks - U.S.)
by Sabonis-Helf, a professor at Georgetown University

Africa

South Africa
Feb 03, 2025  In January, South African President Ramaphosa signed a bill allowing the government to provide 'nil' compensation for certain expropriated properties. On his Truth Social platform, United States President Trump has announced a halt on all future funding to South Africa. Trump accused the African nation of "confiscating land and treating certain classes of people very badly." He disclosed an investigation into these allegations is underway. In 2018, Trump had directed then-Secretary of State Pompeo to look into allegations of violence against white farmers in South Africa. (Source: NewsBytes - India)

Asia

Gaza
3 Feb 2025  Gaza authorities revise war death toll to more than 61,700 people. (Source: Al Jazeera - Qatar)

Japan
February 3, 2025  The Japan-NATO Conference on Strategic Communications - as one of the priority areas of cooperation countering disinformation - took place in Tokyo. Japan will further enhance the Japan-NATO cooperation. (Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)

Syria
Feb. 3, 2025  On the outskirts of the city of Manbij, in the area of Syria controlled by the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army coalition which includes radical Islamic rebel factions, a car bomb detonated, killing agricultural workers, 14 women and one man. Another 15 were injured, some seriously. (Source: UPI - U.S.)

North America

United States
Feb 03, 2025  India asks whether global tax deal can work after US withdrawal last month. (Source: Straits Times - Singapore / Reuters - United Kingdom)

February 3, 2025, Monday  Groving scrutiny at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Musk has publicly calling it a criminal organization. (Source: Novinite - Bulgaria)

NATO

03.02.2025   'Spending 2% of GDP on defense not enough to keep us safe': NATO chief reiterated, speaking at a joint news conference in Brussels today. 'And the US is also under threat now with the long-range missiles coming out of North Korea, maybe in the future' thanks to all the technology the Russians are delivering to Pyongyang - Rutte said. We are all working to end this war, said the British premier, adding that the allies 'must do all' that they can to support Ukraine's defense. And that's why, he said, this year the UK will give more military support to Ukraine than ever before. The pair's remarks came following an informal meeting of EU leaders to discuss European defense. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

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Europe

Poland
02.02.2025  On Jan. 27, a commemoration was held to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, where multiple world leaders were in attendance, including Germany's chancellor and the French, Polish, and Ukrainian presidents. Russia has not been invited to take part in the annual events commemorating Auschwitz's liberation. The Auschwitz concentration camp, established by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland, was liberated by Soviet forces on Jan. 27, 1945. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Russia
02/01/2025  Russia said it captured the strategic hilltop city of Toretsk in Donetsk region. It unleashed another large barrage of missiles and drones against Ukraine yesterday. /Photo/ (Source: DW - Germany ; "Reuters - United Kingdom, AP - United States")

Ukraine
February 2, 2025  A Russian missile attack on Odesa severely damaged multiple historic sites, including the Bristol Hotel. A Chabad-affiliated Jewish educational center adjacent to the Bristol Hotel was also impacted. The university serves for Jewish students from across Ukraine - more than 100 students, many of whom are graduates of Chabad’s Or Avner schools or the Mishpacha orphanage in Odesa. The institution sustained structural damage significant enough to prompt the temporary closure of its facilities. The strike, which left at least seven people wounded, also impacted the Odesa Philharmonic Theater and several UNESCO-protected buildings in the city center. (Source: The Jerusalem Post - Israel)

Asia

Afghanistan
(February 2, 2025)  Iran has deported approximately 1.1 million Afghan migrants since the start of this Persian calendar year, but nearly half of them have since returned, according to Iran’s Interior Minister Momeni. Pakistan’s prime minister ordered the expulsion of Afghan refugees holding ACC (Afghan Citizen Card) and PoR (Proof of Registration) cards. He also warned that all Afghans awaiting resettlement to third countries must leave Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31. (Source: Amu Television, a satellite television channel. Headquarters Virginia, U.S.)

India
Feb 02, 2025  China, Mexico, and Canada are the top contributors of US trade deficit, with China at 30.2 per cent, Mexico at 19 per cent, and Canada at 14 per cent, while India, contributing just 3.2 per cent is the ninth-largest contributor. “We have big deficits with all three of them. And in one case, they’re sending massive amounts of fentanyl, killing hundreds of thousands of people a year with fentanyl. And in the other two cases, they’re making it possible for this poison to get in. We have about a $200 billion deficit with Canada… and a $250 billion trade deficit with Mexico,” Trump said. In its report on January 17, the Peterson Institute for International Economics warned that a 10 percent tariff imposed by the US on China, followed by a Chinese retaliation, would result in a $55 billion reduction in US GDP over four years, and a $128 billion loss for China. “Inflation would increase by 20 basis points in the US, and after an initial dip, by 30 basis points in China. The initial fall in inflation in China is caused by a temporary tightening of Chinese monetary policy aimed at offsetting the depreciation of the Chinese currency. Trade policies under US President-elect Trump could lead to a potential economic boom for India, driven by major trade diversions in global trade. (Source: Hindustan Times - India)

Southeast Asia (ASEAN)

02 February 2025  Southeast Asia’s development has been a product of its successful integration into the global economy, made possible with confidence in a well-functioning rules-based multilateral trading system. That system is under threat. Southeast Asian nations need to develop a joint and common response. Trade between China and ASEAN has more than doubled since 2010, making China ASEAN’s largest trading partner. China’s 2024 trade surplus was reaching a record US$992 billion. Southeast Asian domestic markets are about to be hit by a tsunami of cheap Chinese goods, unable to enter the United States. Without a decisive response, the risks for ASEAN are high. (Source: East Asia Forum, an international policy forum, based at the Australian National University's Crawford School of Public Policy).
by Pangestu, Professor of International Economics at the University of Indonesia; Armstrong, Professor of Economics at The Australian National University.

North America

United States
(2 February 2025)  Parts of the US, including the Pacific Northwest and Northeast US, are deeply reliant on electricity or gas flows from Canada. Energy imports from Canada, including oil and electricity, will be spared from the full 25% levy and will face a 10% tariff. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the country will impose 25% tariffs against C$155 billion (€103 billion) of US goods. Mexican President Sheinbaum pledged retaliatory tariffs. China vowed corresponding countermeasures, China’s Commerce Ministry pledged to file legal proceedings to the World Trade Organisation. Trump’s actions also closed a loophole that exempted parcels worth less than $800 from tariffs. (Source: Luxembourg Times)

 NATO

02/01/2025  'Germany has to increase defense spending, that will be necessary,' NATO Secretary General Rutte told Germany's Bild's Sunday papers. (Source: DW - Germany)

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Europe

Greece
February 1, 2025  Greece’s relations with Turkey has forced Athens to be on top of its defense spending (more than 3% of its GPD): Greek defense minister Dendias (Source: Fox News - U.S.)

Serbia
February 1, 2025  On Nov. 1 a huge concrete canopy at Novi Sad's main railway station collapsed, killing 15 people. The crash sparked a wide anti-corruption movement and months of student-led street protests. Students lead blockade of bridges over the River Danube in the city of Novi Sad today. President Vucic has accused students and other protesters of working for foreign intelligence services to oust him from power. (Source: France24 / AP - United States)

Ukraine
February 1, 2025  The United States wants Ukraine to hold elections, potentially by the end of the year, especially if Kyiv can agree a truce with Russia in the coming months, Kellogg, President Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia told in an interview. "Most democratic nations have elections in their time of war. I think it is important they do so," Kellogg said. "I think it is good for democracy. That's the beauty of a solid democracy, you have more than one person potentially running." Kellogg and other White House officials have discussed in recent days pushing Ukraine to agree to elections as part of an initial truce with Russia. Trump officials are also debating whether to push for an initial ceasefire before trying to broker a more permanent deal. If presidential elections were to take place in Ukraine, the winner could be responsible for negotiating a longer-term pact with Moscow. Zelenskiy's five-year term was supposed to end in 2024 but presidential and parliamentary polls cannot be held under martial law, which Ukraine imposed in February 2022. Putin has said publicly he does not think Zelenskiy is a legitimate leader in the absence of a renewed electoral mandate and that he does not have the legal right to sign binding documents related to a potential peace deal. According to the Russian leader, however, Zelenskiy could take part in negotiations in the meantime but must first revoke a 2022 decree he signed banning talks with Russia for as long as Putin is in charge. Ukrainian legislation explicitly prohibits presidential and parliamentary elections being held under martial law. A former Western official raised concerns that lifting martial law could allow mobilized soldiers to leave the military, trigger an exodus of hard currency and prompt large numbers of draft-age men to run for the border, it could also ignite political instability, because it would make Zelenskiy a lame duck, diluting his power and influence and fueling jockeying by potential challengers. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

North America

1 February 2025  US federal websites scrub vaccine information and LGBTQ references. (Source: BBC – United Kingdom)

United States
Feb 01, 2025  'This morning I ordered precision Military air strikes on the Senior isis Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia. These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies. The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians'. (Source: Truth Social – a social media platform, U.S.)
by (President) Trump

February 1, 2025  Crashed US Army Black Hawk unit was "on a routine, annual re-training of night flights on a standard corridor for a continuity of government mission". (Source: MSN - U.S. / Reuters - United Kingdom)

Space

February 1, 2025  A recently discovered asteroid named 2024 YR4 has a 1.2 percent chance of impacting Earth on 22 December 2032, the European Space Agency and NASA have found. (Source: Radio New Zealand / CNN - U.S.)

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United States
January 31, 2025  President Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Canada, China, and Mexico - the United States’ largest trading partners - on February 1. U.S. importers will pay a 25 percent tax on all goods from Canada and Mexico, as Trump tries to force both countries to curb migration and drug trafficking into the United States. Imports from China, meanwhile, will face 10 percent tariffs unless Beijing reins in the smuggling of fentanyl precursor chemicals to Canada and Mexico, where they are made into U.S.-bound fentanyl.    How could tariffs affect the United States? Nearly half of all U.S. imports - more than $1.3 trillion - come from Canada, China, and Mexico. The new tariffs could reduce overall U.S. imports by 15 percent. The tariffs will generate around $100 billion per year in extra federal tax revenue. They would also impose significant costs on the broader economy: disrupting supply chains, raising costs for businesses, eliminating hundreds of thousands of jobs, and ultimately driving up consumer prices. Certain sectors of the U.S. economy would be hit particularly hard, including the automotive, energy, and food sectors. Gas prices could surge as much as 50 cents per gallon in the Midwest, as Canada and Mexico supply more than 70 percent of crude oil imports to U.S. refineries. Also at risk are cars and other vehicles, as the United States imports nearly half its auto parts from its northern and southern neighbors. A 25 percent tariff on Canada and Mexico would raise production costs for U.S. automakers, adding up to $3,000 to the price of some of the roughly sixteen million cars sold in the United States each year. Grocery costs would rise, too, as Mexico is the United States’ biggest source of fresh produce, supplying more than 60 percent of U.S. vegetable imports and nearly half of all fruit and nut imports. Still, the United States is less reliant on trade than many other industrialized economies, including Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Imports and exports make up just a quarter of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), and the United States sources what it does import from a fairly broad set of nations.    Tariffs would hit Canada and Mexico much harder, as trade makes up about 70 percent of both economies’ GDP. The two countries are particularly dependent on trade with the United States. Asymmetries in the cost of tariffs at home give the U.S. significant leverage over its North American partners in negotiations.   More than 80 percent of Mexico’s exports - including cars, machinery, fruits, vegetables, and medical equipment - head north, accounting for 15 percent of total U.S. imports. This dependence is especially pronounced on Mexico’s northern border. There, industrial states Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Baja California account for nearly half of Mexico’s exports to the United States, sending more than $200 billion worth of computers, electronics, transportation equipment, and other products each year. A unilateral 25 percent tariff on these goods could slash Mexico’s GDP by some 16 percent, with Mexico’s auto industry bearing the brunt. Mexico sends nearly 80 percent of the cars it produces to the United States alone, amounting to some 2.5 million vehicles each year. Duties would also threaten Mexico’s energy sector; the United States is the recipient of roughly 60 percent of Mexico’s petroleum exports, most of which is crude oil bound for U.S. refineries. At the same time, Mexico is the top destination for U.S. refined oil exports, which meet over 70 percent of domestic demand. U.S. tariffs would make fuel more expensive, raising prices at the pump and straining Mexico’s broader economy.    Canada faces a similar challenge. The United States buys more than 70 percent of Canada’s exports, with these goods making up 14 percent of total U.S. imports. Under the new tariffs, Canada’s energy sector would take the biggest hit, as exporters send 80 percent of their oil south.     How could tariffs affect China? Over the past two decades, the country has steadily reduced the importance of trade to its economy as Beijing has ramped up domestic production. The country’s share of global trade has climbed roughly 4 percent since 2016, when President Trump first took office, even as the United States’ share has dipped. China is comparatively less dependent on the United States and less reliant on trade overall. In recent years, U.S.-China trade has declined, particularly in sectors hit by previous tariffs and export controls, such as auto parts, data servers, furniture, and semiconductors. China has instead ramped up trade with other partners including the European Union, Mexico, and Vietnam. Today, imports and exports account for only about 37 percent of China’s GDP, compared to more than 60 percent in the early 2000s. Combined, these factors would lessen the shock of an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese exports to the United States.    What could happen the day after? Each country’s currency could weaken further, lessening the bite of tariffs on imports and raising the effective price of U.S. exports to other nations. The roughly 30 percent depreciation of Mexico’s peso since April and the Canadian dollar’s 8 percent drop since September also lessens the potential impact. Markets could potentially drive the peso, as well as the Canadian dollar, further down if tariffs are put in place. A weakened yuan has already softened the blow for Chinese producers, helping their exports remain competitive around the world. Additionally, Canada, China, or Mexico could respond in kind, imposing tit-for-tat tariffs on the United States. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has already suggested that Mexico could retaliate with tariffs of its own, and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which underpins North American free trade, would likely allow it. This wouldn’t be the first time countries have reciprocated. In 2018, Mexico and Canada placed retaliatory tariffs on a combined more than $15 billion worth of U.S. goods - including steel, pork, yogurt, and tablecloths - after Trump imposed tariffs on their steel and aluminum. Likewise, the United States lost $20 billion in annual farm exports when China hit back against a slew of U.S. tariffs from 2018 to 2019. If either Canada or Mexico retaliates, U.S. fuel exporters would likely take the biggest hit alongside automakers and other advanced manufacturers, including pharmaceutical producers.     Retaliatory tariffs on the United States would predominantly affect manufacturing-heavy states. Mexico buys 70 percent of New Mexico’s exports, including billions of dollars in U.S. semiconductor chips and electrical components that later return to the United States in Mexican-made cars and appliances. Texas sends more than $20 billion in chips, auto parts, and electrical equipment to Mexico; overall, the state’s southbound exports account for 5 percent of its GDP. Tariffs would also dent Ohio’s $5 billion worth of auto and metal exports to Canada as well as Maine’s $320 million in northbound lumber and paper exports. (Source: Council on Foreign Relations – U.S.)
by O'Neil and Huesa

January 31, 2025  In the past, most but not all nuclear arms control agreements with Russia have been submitted as treaties to the Senate for its advice and consent. "The now Republican-controlled Senate would likely pair approval of any such agreement with additional funding and requirements to accelerate and expand the ongoing nuclear modernization program, which is already slated to cost almost $2 trillion over the next 30 years'. To gain Senate approval, a treaty would require 67 votes. It is not hard to see at least two dozen Democrats or so supporting a deal to cap - even at such a large increase of forces - nuclear weapons and fund what will be billed as a necessary expansion of the US deterrent forces. Is a bad agreement worse than no agreement at all? By any historical standard, an agreement that is not effectively verified and does not substantially limit the growth of US, Russian (or Chinese) nuclear forces has marginal value for the United States and its allies. One that enables a doubling of strategic forces is better described as performative arms control. A hollow agreement might feel good, but it would likely do little to reduce nuclear risks or address growing international pressure to take serious steps toward disarmament. Of course, these voices are likely to have little, if any, influence on the Trump administration, which now feels empowered and eager to destroy past norms and agreements. And such a nuclear deal might even bolster Trump’s self-promoted case that he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, another one of Trump’s long-held wishes. But even if negotiated and approved, such a treaty would not bring stability or peace - and it would have to be heavily scrutinized. Yet without an agreement, the three largest nuclear powers will likely keep building up their arsenals. Weighing the benefits of a performative agreement versus no agreement at all is a choice the United States can and should seek to avoid. Trump has an opportunity to negotiate a deal that effectively reduces nuclear risks and improves US security. There remains hope that the president might put in the hard work required to achieve a treaty that caps US and Russian strategic weapons at current or lower levels -a level still far above what China possesses. If Washington and Moscow lock in current levels, it could take China as long as 20 years for them to catch up. This means Russia and the United States together would have almost 10,000 total weapons and China would have no more than 1500 for at least the next decade. And if China’s arsenal ever gets to a size that undermines the United States’s deterrent, whoever is president at the time would always have the possibility of withdrawing from a treaty that no longer serves US interests. Given how quickly the international security environment is changing, the new agreement could have an initial period of five years, with the option to extend for additional five-year periods, as needed. In the intervening years, circumstances and leaders will change. Creating some nuclear stability and predictability for a decade or more is a worthy achievement and should be seriously considered. "A new agreement at current or lower levels should and could include robust on-site verification that uses the lessons learned from over 50 years of inspections, as well as rely on advanced satellite and other sensor technology". All can be brought to bear in a way that protects secrets but provides the necessary transparency to make a deal worth having. Certainly, a bad nuclear deal with Russia can, in many ways, be worse than no deal at all. But in this case, President Trump has a chance to prove his negotiating prowess and produce a deal that benefits US security now and into the future without compromising the ability of the United States to deter both Russia and China, at the same time. If President Trump seizes that chance, he will deserve accolades. (Source: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a website and a bi-monthly, academic journal - U.S.)
by Wolfsthal, who directs the Global Risk program at the Federation of American Scientists, serves on the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and is a member of the US Department of State’s International Security Advisory Board.

Space

31 January 2025  Stranded NASA astronaut Williams has forgotten how to walk after spending 234 days in microgravity.  /Video/ (Source: Daily Mail – United Kingdom)

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 "Ki ölte meg Kennedyt, avagy miért titkolja az állam a „nép” elől az „államtitkokat”?

- video -

(Forrás: YouTube / Egy Bogár Naplója):

https://tinyurl.com/yc3mcam9

Kennedy gyilkosságról; 2001. IX. 11.-ről, a 2014. évi, kijevi mesterséges polgárháború kirobbantásáról, a globális Covid19 víruskísérletről

Trump Elnök Úr egyik fontos ígérete volt, hogy minden Kennedy gyilkossággal kapcsolatos titkot nyilvánosságra hoz. Vajon ki és minek alapján dönti el azt, hogy mi az, amit el kell titkolni a „nép” elől?  Nem a nép elől akar eltitkolni bármit az állam, hanem a nép érdekében a nép ellenségei elől.  Ám, ha már a Kennedy gyilkossággal kapcsolatban fény derülhet arra, hogy kik is a nép ellenségei, akkor nem kéne itt megállni! Legalább ennyi titok övezi 2001 szeptember 11-ét, vagy éppen a Covid19 járványt, amelyeknek hivatalos verzióját már akkor sem hitte el a többség, ma meg már gyakorlatilag senki sem.

20 920 megtekintés

Kulcsszavak:

Afganisztán    Egyesült Államok    Északi Áramlat    Franciaország    globalizmus    Irak    Kína    Magyarország    Németország    Oroszország    Ukrajna    vírus    WHO

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Europe

Norway
30 January 2025  The two-party, center-left, minority government coalition that has ruled the Nordic country since the 2021 parliament elections has collapsed following the Center Party's rejection of three EU directives on clean energy. Center Party leader and Finance Minister Vedum says he can not accept the directives that are part of EU's fourth energy package. The regulations are aimed at making the continent, including Norway, more energy efficient. The Fourth Energy Package is also known as 'Clean Energy for all Europeans.' "I believe it is wrong to give away more power to Brussels," Vedum has repeatedly underlined over the last weeks. He argues that Norway should halt and reverse integration in European energy policies. The Center Party has scored low on polls over the past year and it is now believed to flag its anti-European policies ahead of the upcoming September 2025 elections. The Center Party has its core support among farmers and agrarians and is strongly opposed also to the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement, the deal that was negotiated after Norway's 'no' in the 1994 referendum on EU membership. 'Politics in Oslo today increasingly appear dominated by politicians who question basic pillars in Norway's international cooperation". PM Støre will now form a new government with members only from his Labour Party. (Source: The Barents Observer - Norway)

Sweden
30 January 2025  Quran-burning activist Momika, an Iraqi refugee in Sweden after carrying out several Quran burnings, has been shot dead on the evening of January 29. (Source: Brussels Signal)

Ukraine
Jan. 30, 2025  A Russian drone blasted a hole in an apartment building in northeastern Sumy city during a nighttime attack, killing at least six people and wounding nine others. The battlefield fighting has been especially fierce in recent times in the eastern Donetsk region, which Russian forces partly occupy and appear bent on capturing completely in coming months. A Russian artillery strike on the Donetsk city of Kramatorsk wounded 13 people. In Odesa region, Russian drones damaged a hospital and two apartment buildings. (Source: Los Angeles Times - U.S.)

North America

United States
(Thursday), January 30, 2025  During his first week in office, Trump and the presidents of Russia and Ukraine continued to stake out their negotiating positions ahead of a widely anticipated U.S.-led push to end the conflict. Russian President Putin, said on Friday that he was “ready for negotiations” and suggested meeting with Trump in person, describing his relationship with the U.S. leader as “businesslike, pragmatic, and trustworthy.” Last week, at World Economic Forum in Davos President Zelensky berated European leaders for not investing more in the continent’s defense, later saying that it would take a 200,000-strong European peacekeeping force to deter Russia from attacking again in the wake of a settlement. Trump threatened to impose “high levels” of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on Russian imports if a deal isn’t reached soon. Experts say they see no sign that Putin is ready to climb down from his ultimate goal of permanently bending Ukraine to his will. Moscow’s war aims remain unchanged as the third anniversary of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine looms: It’s about Ukraine not in NATO and NATO not in Ukraine. The Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., directed to an article originally published in December by the country’s former president, Medvedev, in which he wrote that “Ukraine today stands at a crossroads: to align with Russia or to vanish from the world map altogether” and that the country should “resist opposing themselves to the pan-Russian project, and drive out the demons of political Ukrainianism.” The Biden administration, which led the Western coalition in supporting Kyiv, has packed its bags. Russian forces are making gradual gains in eastern Ukraine. The Russian leader believes that he is very close to achieving his objective of forcing the capitulation of Kyiv. Putin is not opposed to talks with Trump, so long as they secure the same outcome. Trump’s threat of tariffs would have limited impact, Putin unlikely to be bowed by economic pressure. Moscow was exporting $2.8 billion worth of goods to the United States last year, down from almost $30 billion in 2021. Moscow has continued to find workarounds, including by turning to Iran, China, and North Korea to sell its energy and procure weapons. A surge in defense spending, which will account for some 40 percent of the state budget this year, has fueled economic growth, driving up wages - particularly among the working class - which has helped pacify the population. Trump’s lieutenants have floated ideas for how to end the war. In April 2024, retired Lt. Gen. Kellogg, sketched out the broad contours of a deal that would see Ukraine temporarily lose control of Russian-occupied territories in exchange for unspecified security guarantees from the United States, while Ukraine’s NATO membership would be taken off the table for an extended period. He since been tasked by Trump to serve as special envoy for Russia and Ukraine. Whether Putin would be willing to abandon his efforts to keep Ukraine out of NATO by force in exchange for a diplomatic agreement to put the question of the country’s membership in the alliance on ice will likely depend on the details of such an agreement. (Source: Foreign Policy - U.S.)
By Mackinnon

Jan. 30, 2025  Secretary of Defense Hegseth and NATO Secretary General Rutte held an introductory call yesterday to discuss their shared commitment to building a stronger, more lethal NATO Alliance. Both leaders stressed the importance of raising Allied defense spending and expanding defense industrial base capacity on both sides of the Atlantic. Secretary Hegseth emphasized that the United States is fully committed, under President Trump's leadership, to pursuing these objectives in the face of today's threats. Both leaders agreed to work closely together and to meet in person soon. (Source: U.S. Department of Defense)

January 30, 2025  Yesterday, United States President Trump ordered the construction of a 30,000-bed facility at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba to detain migrants, because “we don’t even trust the countries to hold them [and] we don't want them coming back.” It suggests an intention to hold people in limbo for a long time. Guantánamo is a remote, highly controlled overseas US military installation, which the US government has used to evade legal protections and public scrutiny. “The name Guantánamo is synonymous with shame and infamy as the site of torture where prisoners are still being held for years without charge or trial,” said Frelick, refugee and migrant rights director at Human Rights Watch. “When detention becomes prolonged and indefinite and untethered from proper oversight, it violates human rights and may amount to torture.” (Source: Human Rights Watch, a non-governmental organization. Headquartered in New York, U.S.)

30 January 2025  American Airlines Flight 5342 was approaching Washington's Reagan National Airport at around 9pm yesterday when the military chopper and plane collided in mid-air, before falling into the Potomac River. The plane held four crew members and 60 passengers, while the helicopter was carrying three soldiers on a 'training flight'. Conspiracy theorists have rushed to social media. Some allege the helicopter appeared to 'chase' the Bombardier plane as it approached for landing. Others have demanded to 'know who was on that passenger plane', suggesting that the incident was a 'targeted hit'. (Source: Daily Mail - United Kingdom)

Thursday, January 30, 2025  At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington DC. (Source: Morning Star - United Kingdom)

Global

30 January 2025  The places that don’t celebrate New Year’s Day - Enkutatash; Losar; Lunar New Year; Nowruz; Nyepi; Songkran - on 1 January. (Source: Geographical - the magazine of the Royal Geographical Society, based in London, United Kingdom)

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Africa

Democratic Republic of Congo
(Wednesday), 29 Jan 2025  Vandalised embassies and piles of burning tyres marked chaotic demonstrations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s capital Kinshasa to denounce the “inaction” of the international community over the conflict raging in Goma. On foot or motorcycles, hundreds of angry demonstrators targeted the embassies of Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, France, Belgium and the United States. They accused Rwanda and Uganda of actively supporting the armed group M23 which, with the support of Rwandan troops, entered the regional capital, Goma, on Sunday. The demonstrators accused the other countries of diplomatic inaction. Protesters looted the Ugandan mission, taking away furniture. /Photo/ (Source: Al Jazeera - Qatar)

Asia

China
January 29, 2025  Driving more nations toward China's AI ecosystem? A strict US regime is prohibiting Chinese firms from accessing the kinds of advanced chips needed to power AI large language models -  massive learning models used to develop AI. For years many had assumed US supremacy in AI was a given, with the field dominated by big Silicon Valley names like OpenAI and Facebook-parent Meta. DeepSeek founder Liang has admitted the "embargo on high-end chips" has proved a major hurdle in its work. But the curbs may have spurred the firm to develop clever ways to overcome them. The company has said it used the less-advanced H800 chips - permitted for export to China until late 2023 - to power its large learning model. China has invested millions and vowed to be the world leader in AI technology by 2030. Developers claim DeepSeek's R1 chatbot was built for just $5.6 million. We don't see the full cost picture of infrastructure, research, and development. (Source: Gulf News -  Dubai, United Arab Emirates / AFP - France)

Gaza
29 Jan 2025  Columns of Palestinians carrying what belongings they can have headed to north Gaza, after Israel permitted their passage in accordance with the ongoing ceasefire. /Photo/ (Source: Al Jazeera - Qatar)

India
Jan. 29, 2025  The Maha Kumbh Mela has been billed as the “world’s largest congregation of humanity:” an estimated 450 million people are gathering over six weeks in northern India in a celebration of ritual bathing where two holy rivers - the Ganges and Yamuna - meet to purify their sins. (Source: The Wall Street Journal - U.S.)

Jan 29, 2025  A stampede at the world's largest religious gathering has killed at least 15 people with many more injured. Indian religious festivals, including the Kumbh Mela, attract throngs of devotees every 12 years to the city of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. The Kumbh Mela is rooted in Hindu mythology, a battle between deities and demons for control of a pitcher containing the nectar of immortality. The six-week festival is the single biggest milestone on the Hindu religious calendar, and millions of people had traveled there to take a dip in the confluence of holy rivers. Today marks one of the holiest days in the festival, when saffron-clad holy men lead millions in a procession of sin-cleansing ritual bathing at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. Up to 400 million pilgrims would visit before the final day on Feb. 26. Millions had already bathed in the waterways between midnight and the early morning. A stampede took place around 1:00 a.m.  (Source: Japan Times)

Syria
29 Jan 2025  Syria’s Sharaa is named president for transitional period. The country’s constitution has been suspended. Sharaa was also authorised to form a temporary legislative council for the transitional phase. All military factions are dissolved … and integrated into state institutions, Ghani, the spokesperson for Syria’s new de facto government’s military operations sector announced, the dissolution of the defunct regime’s army and security agencies too, as well as the Baath party, which ruled Syria for decades. (Source: Al Jazeera - Qatar)

Asia

January 29, 2025 T  Lunar New Year festivities in Asia and around the world. The Chinese Lunar New Year marks the Year of the Snake on the Chinese zodiac. The snake, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, follows the just-ended Year of the Dragon. The holiday - known as the Spring Festival in China, Tet in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea - is a major festival celebrated by diaspora communities around the world. (Source:  The Asahi Shimbun - Japan)

North America

United States
(Thursday), 01/29/25  Across land, sea and space. “We protect other countries, but we don’t protect ourself,” Trump said at the House GOP retreat on Monday. “The United States is entitled to that.” The U.S. has invested in Ground-Based Interceptors (GBI), which are designed to take out long-range threats like ballistic missiles. Today, there are 44 GBIs, with 40 at Fort Greely, Ala., and four at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. President Trump on Monday night signed an executive order to create a next-generation missile defense shield, which the White House referred to as the “Iron Dome for America.” Trump’s order calls for Secretary of Defense Hegseth to submit an implementation plan within 60 days. Trump asked Hegseth to review ways to increase missile defense technology development with other countries, boost theater missile defenses of forward-deployed U.S. troops and increase American provisions of missile defense capabilities to allies. Trump wants an assessment of the strategic missile threat to the U.S. and a specific set of locations to defend against an attack from nuclear adversaries. “The threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks, remains the most catastrophic threat facing the United States,” the order reads. “Over the past 40 years, rather than lessening, the threat from next-generation strategic weapons has become more intense and complex with the development by peer and near-peer adversaries of next-generation delivery systems and their own homeland integrated air and missile defense capabilities.” He wants to take out targets “prior to launch and in the boost phase,” while increasing the development or deployment of interceptors and sensors, Trump said. He also called for the exploration of nonkinetic capabilities to defend against threats and to increase supply chains to procure needed materials. 'There are technologies that the U.S. has yet to field that could greatly expand defense capabilities: interceptors to take out targets in space or within the boost phase of flight, along with nonkinetic options like directed energy, or lasers, and high-power microwaves' - an implication of space becoming a warfighting domain. Such technologies could take years to develop. (Source: The Hill - U.S.)

January 29, 2025  Trump has indicated that “the hard way” for Russia to get to the negotiating table will come from pressure on its energy exports. Kellogg has specifically named a target of $45 per barrel as a ceiling for Russia’s oil exports. The Trump administration will likely attempt to drive down the price of Russian exports to below this level through a combination of increasing domestic production, negotiating with Saudi Arabia to increase its own production, 'facilitating strikes on Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure by weapons financed with their own frozen assets', and incentivizing countries to cut back their imports of Russian crude. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)
by White, a program associate at the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute. His research focus includes U.S. foreign policy toward Russia and Ukraine and geopolitics in Eurasia.

January 29, 2025  Microsoft Corp. and OpenAI are investigating whether data output from OpenAI’s technology was obtained in an unauthorized manner by a group linked to Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek. (Source: Gulf News - Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

January 29, 2025  The Trump administration announced yesterday that it is offering buyouts to all federal employees who opt to leave their jobs by next week. The email sent to two million of federal employees said those who leave their posts voluntarily will receive about eight months of salary, but they have to choose to do so by Feb. 6. Trump will insist on excellence at every level. The federal workforce should be comprised of employees who are reliable, loyal, trustworthy, and who strive for excellence in their daily work. The substantial majority of federal employees who have been working remotely since Covid will be required to return to their physical offices five days a week. The majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized. The federal government employed more than 3 million people as of November last year, which accounted for nearly 1.9% of the nation’s entire civilian workforce. Agency heads are being instructed to establish a contact person no later than today and begin to submit interim personnel recommendations within 90 days. (Source: Associated Press - U.S.)

(January 29, 2025)  Defense Secretary Hegseth is revoking Gen. Milley's personal security detail and clearance. "Undermining the chain of command is corrosive to our national security, and restoring accountability is a priority for the Defense Department under President Trump's leadership," Defense Department chief of staff Kasper said. Trump once suggested Milley should be executed for treason after The Atlantic reported he communicated with his Chinese counterpart in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. (Source: Axios - U.S.)

January 29, 2025  US President Trump has tasked Musk's SpaceX to bring back Nasa astronauts Williams (59) and Wilmore (62) from the International Space Station (ISS) and blamed the Biden administration for "abandoning" them. In what was supposed to be a 10-day mission, Williams and Wilmore have been stranded on the space station for seven months, since June 2024. (Source: India Today)

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Európai Bizottság
2025. január 29.  Az Európai Bizottság CERV programja a Soros-szervezetek brüsszeli lába A Szuverenitásvédelmi Hivatal megvizsgálta a Soros-hálózat brüsszeli finanszírozását. A Hivatal jelentéséből kiderül, hogy az Európai Bizottság az amerikai befolyásszerző hálózat tagjai számára az elmúlt években lehetővé tette, hogy közvetlenül Brüsszelből jussanak működési forrásokhoz. A civil szektornak elkülönített Európai Uniós támogatási pénzek megszerzése érdekében jelentősen átalakították a Polgárok, egyenlőség, jogok és értékek program (CERV) pályázati keretrendszerét, méghozzá a Soros-hálózat érdekeinek megfelelően. A CERV programot tehát valójában a politikai nyomásgyakorlás finanszírozására használják. Az Európai Bizottság 2021-ben indította el a CERV programot, melynek keretein belül civil szervezetek közvetlenül pályázhattak támogatásokra. A program forrásait a Soros-hálózat saját céljaira kívánta fordítani. Ennek érdekében Soros és szervezetei komoly lobbitevékenységet végeztek Brüsszelben, és elérték, hogy a források döntő többségét ők használhassák fel. Hazánkban a program pénzeinek nagy részét a magyar civilek helyett a Soros-hálózathoz tartozó politikai nyomásgyakorló szervezetek kapják: a teljes összeg háromnegyede a hálózathoz került, annak ellenére, hogy csupán az összes szervezet egynegyedét teszik ki. A Hivatal saját weboldalán listát tett közzé ezen szervezetekről. A támogatás formájában az elmúlt két évben megszerzett közel 5 milliárd forintból a politikai nyomásgyakorló szervezetek megpróbálták a megrendelő érdekeinek megfelelően tematizálni a nyilvánosságot, szakértői véleményeknek álcázott dezinformációt terjesztettek, valamint a Bizottság által renitensnek kikiáltott országgal szemben nemzetközi nyomásgyakorlást folytattak. Ennek Magyarország szempontjából az eddigi legsúlyosabb következménye, hogy a jelenlegi Európai Uniós költségvetési ciklusban a hazánkat megillető közel 22 milliárd euro-s keretnek mostanáig csak a töredékéhez jutott hozzá. A feltárt információkból egyértelműen látszik, hogy a Soros-hálózat megszállta a brüsszeli intézményrendszert. A brüsszeli pénzalap nem az európai polgárok, hanem a Soros-hálózat érdekét szolgálja. A magyar adófizetőknek jelenleg ráadásul semmilyen ráhatásuk nincs arra, hogy mire költik el valójában a pénzeket, melyek magyar közpénzt is tartalmaznak. Mindez súlyosan sérti a tagállamok szuverenitását, és ellentétes nemcsak a magyar, hanem az európai emberek érdekeivel is.        Az Európai Bizottság CERV Programja - Így nyitotta meg Brüsszel a pénzcsapot a Soros-hálózat finanszírozására. Összefoglaló: Soros 2015-től kezdve az Európai Unió legmagasabb szintű döntéshozóival tárgyalt. Három fő célja volt. Az első, hogy az amerikai liberális-progresszív elit agendáit az európai nagypolitika részévé tegye. A második, hogy az ennek ellenálló tagállamokat az Európai Unió eszközeivel is a végrehajtásukra kényszerítse. A harmadik, hogy a brüsszeli intézményrendszert megszállás alatt tartsa, forrásait eltérítse: belső, uniós finanszírozással, az Európai Uniós szabályok által védve folytassa a hálózatépítést, a tagállami kontroll kizárásával. A transzatlanti érdekhálózat keresztülvitte akaratát az Európai Uniós politikai eliten: több száz képviselőt korrumpáltak, az Európai Parlament legnagyobb informális képviselő testületét hozták létre, a fő döntéshozó, doktrínaalkotó és végrehajtó testületeket pedig elfoglalták, hűséges embereikkel töltötték meg. Megtörtént az átállás. Brüsszel ma a hídfőállása ennek a globalista-progresszív elitnek. Magyarország az utóbbi másfél évtizedben lépéseket tett azért, hogy felhívja a magyar állampolgárok figyelmét a külföldi érdekű politikai nyomásgyakorló szervezetekre és tevékenységükre, illetve megszüntesse e szervezetek szuverenitást sértő gyakorlatát. Ennek következménye az, hogy hazánk tíz éve folyamatos nyomás alatt áll, befolyásolási kísérletek célpontja a bel- és a külpolitika, a nemzetgazdaság és a társadalom egésze. A Soros-hálózat magyar tagjai központi szerepet játszanak Brüsszel megszállásában, az európai civil pénzek elosztása feletti kontroll megszerzésében. Ez az új rendszer jelenleg is alakulóban van, finanszírozási rendszere – az átláthatatlanság biztosítása érdekében – ma is átszervezés alatt áll, a rendelkezésre álló európai források folyamatosan nőnek. A tagországok szuverenitását veszély fenyegeti, különösen Magyarországét, amellyel a Soros-hálózat és Brüsszel elrettentő példát akar mutatni a többieknek. (Forrás: Szuverenitásvédelmi Hivatal - Magyarország)

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Europe

Cyprus
28.01.2025  Israel will have a “privileged status” at the Paphos Airbase that will be updated with the help of the US, according to Palmas, the defense minister of the Greek Cypriot Administration. He said the airbase will not be used for offensive missions. Its main task will be to support peacekeeping and humanitarian missions in the region when needed. He pointed to the geographical proximity of Israel. “Greeks can be our brothers, but Israel is our neighbor. The Israelis are totally next to us. In three minutes, they can fly to Cyprus. From Greece, it would take some time to come here to support,” he said. He added that the airbase will be open to “friendly states” such as Jordan, Egypt and Israel, as well as the EU. “We will use it also for the joint military exercises with the US National Guard elements,” said Palmas. The administration also intends to modernize and expand the Mari Naval Base. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

France
28.01.2025  France is considering deploying troops to Greenland in response to US President Trump’s remarks about acquiring the Arctic island, French Foreign Minister Barrot said today. He confirmed that France discussed the issue with Denmark but stressed there are no immediate plans for action. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

28.01.202  Position of Paris 'has not changed: any forced displacement of Gaza’s population would be unacceptable,' argues Foreign Ministry. 'It would be a major obstacle to the two-state solution and a destabilizing factor for our close partners, Egypt and Jordan," the statement added. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

Italy
29.01.2025  Storm Herminia has unleashed heavy rains and strong winds across Italy and France, leading to flash floods, landslides, and widespread disruptions. In Italy, the regions of Tuscany and Liguria have been particularly affected by Herminia’s impact. In Friuli-Venezia Giulia, authorities reported flooding. Heavy snow has been recorded in the Alpine regions, particularly along the Brenner Highway. The storm has brought torrential rain and high winds to western France. Strong winds reaching up to 110 kilometers per hour hit coastal areas. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

European Commission
29/01/2025 The first phone call of the EU's High Representative and US Secretary of State yesterday evening. Trump has put the bloc on edge with his threat to take control of Greenland, using economic coercion and military force if necessary. "I think we're going to have it," he said over the weekend. In response, EU leaders have hardened their rhetoric, vowing to defend the sprawling island. None of the read-outs mentioned the issue if Greenland was discussed at all during the Kallas-Rubio call. Last week, president Trump threatened to slap Russia with "high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions" if President Putin refused to "make a deal". The hawkish comments influenced Hungay's decision-making: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close Trump ally, raised the prospect of blocking the renewal of all sectorial sanctions against Russia. He later backed down after securing a non-binding statement on energy solidarity. Now, Secretary Rubio called for Europe 'to increase defense spending'. 'Kallas emphasised Europe's increasing investment in defence' and the importance of diversifying energy supplies. Kallas had to wait more than a week since the inauguration to speak with Rubio. They agreed to maintain 'maximum pressure' on Russia and ensure a lasting peace in Ukraine. By the time the call took place, Rubio had already spoken with several of his European counterparts, such as Poland's Sikorski, Denmark's Rasmussen, Hungary's Szijjártó and Italy's Tajani. (Source: Euronews - headquarters Lyon, France)

Russia
29 January 2025  Four drones hit an oil refinery, a Lukoil company depot, Ukrainian media said, in the Russian town of Kstovo, around 800 kilometres from the front lines. The Ukrainian army said it shot down 29 Russian drones over nine regions. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)

Serbia
Serbia's prime minister resigns; protests likely to continue. (Source: DW - Germany)
by Rujevic

28.01.2025 Serbian students' blockade protest over Novi Sad railway station incident ends. Thousands of university, college, and high school students began their roadblock protest at 10:00 a.m. local time yesterday and peacefully dispersed 24 hours later in Belgrade today. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)

January 28, 2025  Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned today, becoming the highest-ranking official to step down amid a wave of anti-corruption protests that have spread across the country. The anti-government demonstrations sprang up in the wake of the roof collapsing at a railway station in the city of Novi Sad, killing 15 people and leading to calls for Vucevic to quit. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)

United Kingdom
29 January 2025  For Royal Navy, the fight is below the surface. Sailing off the south coast of England, the Russian trawler known as the Yantar carried a large radar dome behind two masts bristling with antennae. Officially, these allow the 108 metre-long craft as part of the oceanographic research fleet, to monitor ocean currents. The Yantar is known to carry two submersibles that can dive down up to 6,000 metres, allowing their crew to map, monitor and potentially sever the undersea cables that transmit data around the world. An openly provocative target. ’Britain is likely to be already engaged in direct conflict with Russia’s “dark fleet”, deep underwater and out of sight.’ On Jan 20, the Yantar was confronted by a British warship, HMS Somerset, and patrol vessel HMS Tyne. This is a spy ship,” said Healey, the Defence Secretary. The details of underwater battles typically remain shrouded in secrecy for decades. In the images released by the MoD, a third ship looms over the Yantar, RFA Proteus. The £65 million auxiliary ship, completed in 2019, also possesses submersibles – only these have the kind of claws needed to sever the cables connecting Yantar to its mischief-making deep-sea craft. For almost a decade Yantar, the 60-crewed ship has trailed undersea cables around the world, its position revealed through the pings it sends to the Automatic Identification System, a global maritime tracking network. From Guantanamo Bay to the North Sea, it is suspected of mapping out Nato’s critical underwater infrastructure to prepare for eventual conflict. The global internet network relies on around 500 undersea cables, with 60 or so running through Britain. The most important of these essential services travel across the Atlantic relying on the internet and carry critical financial data of the finance sector, payments systems, supply chains and so on between Wall Street and the City. Russia’s dark fleet is already suspected of four sabotage operations in the Baltic since November, severing cables connecting Estonia to Latvia, Sweden to Lithuania and Norway to Finland and Germany. To knock out the UK’s internet connection, dozens of cables would have to be severed simultaneously. Some analysts speculate that the Yantar’s probing missions want to go after critical military cables and discriminate those from the wider network. The location and purpose of such cables is classified. In his statement to Parliament last week, Mr Healey revealed a British submarine had surfaced near the Yantar during a sortie it made into British waters in November. The nuclear-class Astute submarine could have lurked underneath the Yantar for “days”, Mr Sharpe suggested, potentially getting close enough to take photographs of its hull and “map the underwater fittings”. In the Russian military, Gugi is the agency responsible for deep-sea espionage, reporting directly to the ministry of defence rather than the navy. The Soviet Union in the early 1970s converted dozens of trawlers into spy ships, taking advantage of their hardiness and large amounts of hangar space. Russia is able to deploy much the same tactics decades on from the Cold War stems from the protections afforded to civilian vessels under international laws around freedom of navigation. ’You may have to compromise fundamental principles like the ability of civilian ships to sail – and collect intelligence – through international waters,’ said Bego, a research associate at Chatham House. That could have knock-on effects on international shipping through the Red Sea or the tense waters in the western Pacific. Russia, which denies any spying, has already threatened to deploy warships to “protect” its civilian fleet. In part, this is a riposte to the West’s increasing naval muscle. In December, Finnish commandos boarded the Eagle S, the trawler suspected of severing the Estlink 2 power cable in the Gulf of Finland. They found the ship ’bristling’ with spy equipment that allowed it to monitor Nato ships and aircraft, Lloyds List reported. Announcing an inquiry into Britain’s undersea defences. „the committee’s inquiry will take a close look at what powers and capabilities the UK has, and how well they are being used.” Lawyers should already be working on establishing the legal basis for a boarding operation. As ever, the risk of conflict spirals in a direct confrontation. (Source: The Telegraph - United Kingdom)

Tuesday 28 January 2025  Immigration is expected to be the sole driver of population growth in the UK, death rates being projected to overtake birth rates in that time. Britain is expected to take in a total of 494,000 more people a year on average over the next decade than the amount who leave, analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals. There are expected to be about 30,000 more deaths than the number of children born over that time. Net migration in 2023 was 906,000. Total welfare spending on pensioners this year would be just over £150bn - more than the budgets of the Home Office, the Ministry of Defence, and the Department for Education combined. (Source: Sky News - United Kingdom)

Asia

China
2025.01.28  Think of it like teamwork rather than rivalry ? Developed by a Chinese company based in Hangzhou in southeastern China, the DeepSeek app is likely to be subject to Chinese government regulations, including laws related to content, data privacy, and stringent political censorship. Users have been reporting difficulties getting information about sensitive topics such as the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 or Taiwan’s independence. The South China Sea is a complex geopolitical issue involving territorial disputes, military tensions, and conflicting claims by littoral countries including China. Analysts say as the waterway is one of Beijing’s core interests, it is also listed as “highly sensitive” by censors. As DeepSeek wishes to maintain access to the Chinese market, it would seek to comply with Chinese government regulations even abroad, analysts said. “What is the South China Sea?” The reply of China’s homegrown open-source artificial intelligence model DeepSeek and its newly launched AI-assisted chatbot came almost instantly: “The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan.” The chatbot went on to explain that the People’s Republic of China “claims a large portion of the sea within the “Nine-Dash Line,” and this claim is contested by other countries in the region and is “not recognized under international law, particularly following a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which found that China’s claims have no legal basis under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).” But the answer disappeared almost instantly and in its place came a formulaic prompt: “Sorry, that’s beyond my current scope. Let’s talk about something else.” Asked additional questions about the South China Sea, such as “How many artificial islands does China have?” “Where is the Second Thomas Shoal?” and “What’s happening between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea?”, the chatbot kept insisting that it was “not sure how to approach this type of question” and repeatedly suggested users to “chat about math, coding and logic problems instead!” Try asking about Tibet! (Source: Benar News, an online news service affiliated with Radio Free Asia. Headquarters Washington D.C. U.S.)

Jan 28, 2025  In 2023  China issued regulations requiring companies to conduct a security review and obtain approvals before their products can be publicly launched. DeepSeek R1' appears to censor answers on sensitive Chinese topics, a practice commonly seen on China's internet. 'Taiwan has been an integral part of China since ancient times'. 'Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are connected by blood, jointly committed to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.' ChatGPT: From a legal and political standpoint, China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and the island democracy operates as a “de facto independent country” with its own government, economy and military. What happened during military crackdown in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in June 1989? DeepSeek's chatbot: 'Sorry, that's beyond my current scope. Let's talk about something else.' ChatGPT: “One of the most significant and tragic events” in modern Chinese history. The chatbot talked about the background of the massive protests, the estimated casualties and their legacy. What is the state of US-China ties? DeepSeek's chatbot: China is committed to developing ties with the US based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation. ChatGPT: The state of the US-China ties is complex, characterised by a mix of economic interdependence, geopolitical rivalry and collaboration on global issues. Key topics: Tensions over the South China Sea and Taiwan, their technological competition and more. “The relationship between the U.S. and China remains tense but crucial”. Who is the current US president? DeepSeek and ChatGPT said Biden, whose term ended last week as they said their data was last updated in October 2023. DeepSeek’s AI assistant was the No. 1 downloaded free app on Apple’s iPhone store yesterday afternoon, and its launch caused Wall Street tech superstars' stocks to tumble. Observers are eager to see whether the Chinese company has matched America’s leading AI companies at a fraction of the cost. (Source: Hindustan Times)

January 28, 2025  Chinese engineer Liang built the AI company after founding a successful hedge fund. "Our goal is still to go for AGI *," he said. DeepSeek has taken the decision to make all its models open-source, unlike its U.S. rival OpenAI. In open-source models, the base code is publicly available for any developer to use and modify at will. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)
* Artificial General Intelligence

Israel
1/28/2025  In recent days, U.S. Air Force C-17 planes arrived at an air base in southern Israel and departed for Rzeszów in Eastern Poland, a hub for moving weapons into Ukraine. The U.S. military transferred around 90 Patriot air defense interceptors from storage in Israel to Poland this week in order to deliver them to Ukraine. Additional equipment, like radars and other gear, will first be transferred to the U.S. to be refurbished. In late September, Netanyahu finally approved the idea. Last April, the Israeli Air Force officially decommissioned the Patriot air defense system, more than 30 years after it was first given to Israel during the first Gulf War. Netanyahu wanted to speak with President Zelensky in order to get his approval for ultra-Orthodox Israelis to make an annual pilgrimage to the city of Uman in Ukraine, where a famous Rabbi is buried. (Source: MSN / Axios = U.S.)

North America

United States
28 January 2025  Google Maps has announced plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’ after Trump’s ordered the name change. The change will be visible in the US, with both names appearing to Google Maps users outside of the country. In Mexico, it will remain the Gulf of Mexico. (Source: LBC - United Kingdom)

January 28, 2025  The Trump administration can strengthen U.S. national security and save taxpayer funds by cutting at least $60 billion in Pentagon waste and inefficiencies, according to a report released today by The Quincy Institute, Stimson Center, and Taxpayers for Common Sense. The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft believes that efforts to maintain unilateral U.S. dominance around the world through coercive force are neither possible nor desirable. QI promotes ideas that move U.S. foreign policy away from endless war and towards vigorous diplomacy in pursuit of international peace. Today, as changes in power and technology usher in a challenging new era, the Stimson Center promotes international security and shared prosperity through applied research and independent analysis, global engagement, and policy innovation. Taxpayers for Common Sense is a non-partisan budget watchdog. The organization’s mission is to ensure that the federal government spends taxpayer dollars responsibly and operates within its means. The report, Keys to Developing a More Efficient, Effective Defense at a Lower Cost, details four main categories of Pentagon spending cuts:    Cancelling or reducing spending on dysfunctional or unnecessary weapons systems;     Making process changes that will encourage greater spending discipline;     Reducing bureaucracy, including both government personnel and the department’s hundreds of thousands of private contract employees; and     Cutting excess basing infrastructure.     The authors find that $12 billion or more per year could be saved by halting the F-35 combat aircraft program, as well as $3.7 billion or more per year by cutting the Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) program. They also determine that a 15% cut in bureaucratic spending would save $26 billion per year, in addition to $3-5 billion in annual savings from the targeted closures and realignments of U.S. military bases, identified currently at a 19% excess capacity. “Targeted Pentagon spending cuts can not only save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars per year, they can also sharpen America’s military by keeping it focused on the strategies and programs that work.” Eliminating dysfunctional weapons systems and outmoded business practices, the result will be more security at a lower cost. “Defunding weapons that are overpriced, underperforming, and out of step with current missions, like the F-35 combat aircraft and the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, would allow us to invest more in real priorities while also tackling the nation’s tremendous debt”. "Ignoring Pentagon waste is fiscally irresponsible and damaging to U.S. national security". (Source: Stimson - Washington D.C., U.S.)

January 28, 2025  Text of a treaty - Ratification exchange data: Washington, January 17, 1917 - outlines a deal in which the U.S. purchased a cluster of Caribbean islands - now called the U.S. Virgin Islands - from Denmark for $25 million, in exchange for recognition of Danish sovereignty over Greenland. It was signed by then-President Wilson and his secretary of state, Lansing. Declaration in August 4, 2016, undersigned by Lansing shows that "the United States of America will not object to the Danish Government extending their political abd economic interests to the whole Greenland." (Source: National Public Radio - headquarters Washington D.C., U.S.)

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Europe

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

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

27/01/2025  Some of the few remaining survivors of Auschwitz returned to the notorious Nazi death camp today. The world marked the 80th anniversary of its liberation. How much recognition is there in Poland about what happened on Polish soil during WWII? Interview with Grabowski, co-founder of the Polish Centre for Holocaust. //Video/ (Source: YouTube  - U.S. / France24)
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Belarus
January 27, 2025  The Central Election Commission declared early today that President Lukashenko won the election with nearly 87% of the vote after a campaign in which four token challengers all praised his rule. (Source: Fox News - U.S.)

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

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

Asia

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

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

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

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

North America

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

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

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

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

.5 1 28 11:33

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Europe

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

Africa

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

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

Asia

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

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

North America

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

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

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

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

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Europe

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

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

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

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

North America

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

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

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

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

 South America

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

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Europe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Asia

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

North America

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Europe

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

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

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

Arctic

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

Asia

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

Central America

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

North America

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Europe

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

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

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

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

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

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

Asia

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

North America

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

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Zelenskyy playing piano

(Source: YouTube):

https://tinyurl.com/ywyj4pfk

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

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

A zongoránál Zelenszkij

Since March 2, 2022: 2 130 460 views

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

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