World
AI Summary
- The United States is aggressively reshaping its foreign policy, marked by the transfer of ISIS prisoners from Syria to Iraq, renewed ambitions for Cuba regime change, and controversial dealings over Greenland that have visibly strained transatlantic relations and prompted Canada to model a hypothetical U.S. invasion.
- Domestic U.S. politics are characterized by heightened conflict, with the House Speaker backing impeachment proceedings against federal judges, congressional battles over presidential authority in Venezuela, and a heated, partisan atmosphere surrounding legal proceedings involving the former Special Counsel and the Jan 6 investigation.
- Global alliances are clearly under pressure, as illustrated by Europe's frustration with the U.S. over Greenland, a notable divergence in U.S.-Canada relations regarding China policy, and continued Russian efforts to circumvent sanctions to maintain critical oil trade with India.
- The tech industry sees significant movement and controversy, with TikTok successfully establishing a new U.S. entity to bypass a federal ban, Intel facing a stock plunge due to dismal guidance, and Blue Origin announcing plans for a massive satellite constellation to rival SpaceX.
- Critical social and humanitarian issues are gaining attention, including a major development charity reconsidering its "racialized" child sponsorship model to decolonize its work, widespread fraud in public assistance programs in Minnesota, and a Texas investigation into financial incentives tied to childhood vaccines.
ZeroHedge
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US Begins 'Transfer' Of ISIS Prisoners From Syria To Iraq, Mulls Full Withdrawal
22 minutes ago
by Tyler Durden
US Begins 'Transfer' Of ISIS Prisoners From Syria To Iraq, Mulls Full Withdrawal Via The Cradle US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a fresh statement that it has launched a mission to transfer ISIS fighters from Syria to Iraqi government-controlled facilities. The announcement came hours after the Syrian army entered the Al-Hawl Camp in the country’s north, resulting in the escape of thousands of ISIS and ISIS-linked prisoners. “CENTCOM launched a new mission to transfer ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq … to help ensure the terrorists remain in secure detention facilities,” the CENTCOM statement said. “The transfer mission began while US forces successfully
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White House Aims For Cuba Regime Change By Year-End
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
White House Aims For Cuba Regime Change By Year-End Brimming with bravado after snatching Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a lightning raid on Caracas earlier this month, the Trump administration has now set a goal to end Communism in Cuba by the end of the year, according to sources who talked to the Wall Street Journal. Using the Venezuela operation as a blueprint, the White House is working to identify people inside the Cuban government who could be ripe for making a deal in which they use their position to help oust the current leadership, including President and First Secretary of the
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Greenland Remaining With Denmark Not Raised During Trump Talks, NATO Chief Says
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
Greenland Remaining With Denmark Not Raised During Trump Talks, NATO Chief Says Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Jan. 21 that the issue of Greenland remaining part of Denmark did not come up during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaks with NATO’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on Jan. 21, 2026. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images Rutte, in an interview with Fox News, was asked about Greenland’s sovereignty under a proposed framework
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Canada's Military Preps Model Of Hypothetical US Invasion In Historic First
2 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Canada's Military Preps Model Of Hypothetical US Invasion In Historic First It's quite surprising, and a bit absurd, to read these lines in one of Canada's premier and most widely read newspapers: "The Canadian Armed Forces have modelled a hypothetical US military invasion of Canada and the country’s potential response, which includes tactics similar to those employed against Russia and later US-led forces in Afghanistan, two senior government officials say." This is widely believed to be a first in the history of Canada's military, given there's never been reason for this founding NATO member to be attacked by another founding member of NATO,
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House Speaker Endorses Impeachment Of Federal Judges Over Rulings
2 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
House Speaker Endorses Impeachment Of Federal Judges Over Rulings Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Jan. 21 that he would support articles of impeachment against some federal judges after congressional Republicans floated the prospect last year. During a press conference, a reporter asked Johnson about Senate Republicans suggesting that the House bring articles of impeachment against judges. Multiple Republicans have signaled they want to impeach two U.S. district judges, James Boasberg and Deborah Boardman. “I’m for it,” Johnson said during the Wednesday news conference alongside other Republican House members. “Judge Boasberg is one who’s been
The Guardian
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ActionAid to rethink child sponsorship as part of plan to ‘decolonise’ its work
a day ago
by Kaamil Ahmed
Global development, Aid, Humanitarian response, Charities, Charitable giving, Society, Feminism, World news, Africa, Americas, Asia PacificDevelopment charity’s new co-chief executives signal shift from controversial sponsor a child scheme launched in 1972 to long-term grassroots funding Child sponsorship schemes that allow donors to handpick children to support in poor countries can carry racialised, paternalistic undertones and need to be transformed, the newly appointed co-chief executives of ActionAid UK said as they set out to “decolonise” the organisation’s work. ActionAid began in 1972 by finding sponsors for schoolchildren in India and Kenya, but Taahra Ghazi and Hannah Bond have launched their co-leadership this month with the goal of shifting narratives around aid from sympathy towards solidarity and partnership with
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Head of US Africa bureau urges staff to highlight US ‘generosity’ despite aid cuts
2 days ago
by Aisha Down
US foreign policy, Africa, USAID, Trump administration, Aid, US news, World news, US politicsEmail sent to diplomats by state department office’s new boss is labelled ‘racist’ after dismissing Africa as a priority US diplomats have been encouraged to “unabashedly and aggressively” remind African governments about the “generosity” of the American people, according to a leaked email sent to staff in the US state department’s Bureau of African Affairs this January and obtained by the Guardian. “It’s not gauche to remind these countries of the American people’s generosity in containing HIV/Aids or alleviating famine,” says the email. Continue reading...
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‘Brazen’ political influence of rich laid bare as wealth of billionaires reaches $18.3tn, says Oxfam
4 days ago
by Kaamil Ahmed
Global development, Inequality, Inequality and development, Oxfam, Protest, World news, Global economy, Economics, Business, Social exclusion, Rich lists, Kenya, Nepal, US political lobbying, Africa, US news, South and central Asia, SocietyGovernments opting for oligarchy while brutally repressing protests over austerity and lack of jobs, charity report says The world saw a record number of billionaires created last year, with a collective wealth of $18.3tn (£13.7tn), while global efforts stalled in the fight against poverty and hunger. Oxfam’s annual survey of global inequality has revealed that the number of billionaires surpassed 3,000 for the first time during 2025. Since 2020, their collective wealth grew by 81%, or $8.2tn, which the charity claims would be enough to eradicate global poverty 26 times over. Continue reading...
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Uganda’s president calls opponents 'terrorists' in victory speech
4 days ago
by Agence France-Presse
Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, Bobi Wine, Africa, World newsYoweri Museveni wins seventh term but poll criticised by observers and rights groups over repression of opposition and internet blackout Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, fresh from winning a seventh term in office at 81, said on Sunday that the opposition were “terrorists” who had tried to use violence to overturn the election results. Official results showed Museveni winning a landslide with 72% of the vote, but the poll was criticised by African election observers and rights groups due to the heavy repression of the opposition and an internet blackout. Continue reading...
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Yoweri Museveni wins Ugandan election as opponent condemns ‘fake result’
5 days ago
by William Christou
Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, Africa, World newsMuseveni’s opponent, Bobi Wine, alleges that members of polling staff were kidnapped and called for peaceful protests Yoweri Museveni, has won the Ugandan election and his seventh term with more than 70% of the vote, state election authorities have said, amid an internet shutdown and claims of fraud by his opponent. His opponent, a youthful musician known as Bobi Wine, condemned what he called “fake results” and alleged that members of polling staff were kidnapped, among other election irregularities. He called for peaceful protests to pressure the authorities to release what he called the “rightful results”. Continue reading...
South China Morning Post
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Newsom, on the world stage at Davos, accuses Trump of trying to suppress dissent
38 minutes ago
by Tribune News Service
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday said he was not surprised the Trump administration blocked his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland the day before, saying it was another example of the US president trying to stifle dissent. “Is it surprising the Trump administration didn’t like my commentary and wanted to make sure that I was not allowed to speak? No,” said Newsom, who is weighing a 2028 presidential run. “It’s consistent with this administration and their...
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Trump says US ‘armada’ heading towards Iran as tensions remain high
2 hours ago
by Reuters
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States has an “armada” heading towards Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear programme. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers would arrive in the Middle East in the coming days. One official said additional air-defence systems were also being eyed for...
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From Venezuela to Greenland, Trump is using US power to rewrite the rules
2 hours ago
by Bernard Chan
The recent drama surrounding US action in Venezuela, its renewed interest in Greenland and tariff threats on governments that object, along with comments on Cuba, Colombia and Mexico, appear disjointed – part diplomacy, part law enforcement, part political theatre. Like many observers, I rely on the news to try to make sense of the policy logic and what it may mean for those who have to live with its consequences. Washington’s rationale for its actions in Venezuela was initially framed as law...
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Trump blames table and aspirin after new bruise appears on his hand in Davos
3 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
Photographs of fresh bruising on Donald Trump’s hand raised eyebrows on Thursday, but the 79-year-old US president dismissed renewed speculation over his health, saying he had simply hit a table. Trump has been seen with frequent bruising on his right hand since returning to the White House last year, often concealing it with bandages and make-up. The White House has said it is due to a combination of frequent handshaking and the aspirin he takes for his cardiovascular health, which can lead to...
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China to ‘quietly track’ Greenland developments amid Arctic ambitions for now: analysts
4 hours ago
by Xinmei Shen
China will closely monitor developments in Greenland as it seeks to become an important player in Arctic affairs. Still, Beijing is unlikely to respond with any major action in the near future to counter US President Donald Trump’s bid to annex the island, analysts said. “The Arctic is certainly a central matter for policy for China, and they know it’s going to be important in the future, especially with climate change,” said Eurasia Group’s China practice head, David Meale. In his escalated...
New York Times
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TikTok Strikes Deal to Create New U.S. Entity and Loosen App’s Ties to China
37 minutes ago
by David McCabe and Emmett Lindner
Mobile Applications, Computers and the Internet, Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures, Social Media, Law and Legislation, Beijing Bytedance Technology Co Ltd, Oracle Corporation, TikTok (ByteDance), China, MGX Fund Management Ltd, Silver Lake PartnersThe Chinese parent company of the popular video app said a group of non-Chinese investors would create an American TikTok to avoid a federal ban.
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Here’s Who Just Bought TikTok
24 minutes ago
by Emmett Lindner
Computers and the Internet, United States Politics and Government, Social Media, Artificial Intelligence, Mobile Applications, Boards of Directors, E-Commerce, Beijing Bytedance Technology Co Ltd, Dell Inc, Group 42 (G42), MGX Fund Management Ltd, Oracle Corporation, TikTok (ByteDance)Several big companies and investment firms are part of the new American TikTok. Many have ties to one another and President Trump.
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Will I Have to Download a New TikTok App? And Other Big Questions About The Deal.
20 minutes ago
by Emmett Lindner
Social Media, Computers and the Internet, Video Recordings, Downloads and Streaming, Regulation and Deregulation of Industry, Rumors and Misinformation, Beijing Bytedance Technology Co Ltd, TikTok (ByteDance)The popular short form video app has a new corporate structure in the United States, which could result in some changes for the 200 million Americans who use TikTok.
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Jack Smith Testifies in House Hearing About Trump Investigations
3 hours ago
by Glenn Thrush and Alan Feuer
United States Politics and Government, Federal Criminal Case Against Trump (Documents Case), Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jordan, Jim (1964- ), Grassley, Charles E, Cannon, Aileen M, Biden, Joseph R Jr, Justice Department, Storming of the US Capitol (Jan, 2021), House Committee on the Judiciary, Patel, Kashyap, Trump, Donald JThe former special prosecutor argued a case he was never allowed to in court: that President Trump “engaged in criminal activity” that undermined democracy.
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Takeaways From Jack Smith’s Testimony on Trump Investigations
6 hours ago
by Alan Feuer and Glenn Thrush
United States Politics and Government, Special Prosecutors (Independent Counsel), Classified Information and State Secrets, Criminal Justice, Presidential Election of 2020, Courts and the Judiciary, Federal Criminal Case Against Trump (Documents Case), House Committee on the Judiciary, Republican Party, Justice Department, Trump, Donald J, Smith, Jack (Attorney), Garland, Merrick BIn his remarks, the former special counsel repeatedly denied that he had acted out of partisan animus and bemoaned the Trump administration’s efforts to go after the president’s perceived enemies.