North America
In the Los Angeles area, several waves of intense fires destroyed hundreds of homes, claimed the lives of at least 11 victims, and destroyed over 12,000 structures, including prominent landmarks (Jan 7). The Palisades Fire, the largest blaze, has expanded evacuation orders recently as it moves east, threatening Brentwood and Encino. It is 11 percent confined. They are spurred by hazardous conditions brought on by a protracted drought, a very dry winter, and powerful Santa Ana winds. 180,000 individuals have had to leave their houses due to the fires. The insured damages from this week’s fires might potentially exceed US$20 billion.Firefighters pushed the system to its limits (Jan 8) in an effort to extinguish the Palisades fires, leaving the fire hydrants dry, causing water supply concerns.California Governor Gavin Newsom has mandated an independent inquiry into this matter. Additionally, major insurers have been denying coverage to property owners, so citizens have to worry about insurance disputes. With the fire personnel anticipating the red flag warning to take effect on Monday and the return of Santa Ana winds, there doesn’t appear to be any end in sight.
Source : NBC News
United States President Elect, Donald Trump recently held a news conference in Mar-a-Lago, a day after Congress certified his 2024 electoral win (Jan 7). Particularly, one of his statements mentioned his intention to make Greenland a US territory. Trump made this promise in 2019, but it was severely criticised and never discussed again. Now, he is considering utilising economic or military measures to seize the Arctic Island, and has dispatched his son, Don Jr., and “various representatives” the day after his conference. Greenland is regarded as valuable due to its abundance of “critical minerals,” which are necessary for technology and supply chains. The possible access might provide the US with security and leverage over China, as it is a means of competing with China, who has tightened export limits in their trade battle. Additionally, its advantageous location could improve defence because the US has a base there called Pituffik Space, which could be expanded to keep an eye on Russian naval activity in the Arctic. Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, has been a part of Denmark since 1953. Although Mute Egede, the prime minister of Greenland, has stated that he is prepared to speak with President Trump, he underlines Greenland’s partnership with Denmark and its desire for independence. Furthermore, he has made similar remarks about annexing Canada and regaining the Panama Canal in the conference.
Source : The Conversation , CNN
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO, declared his intention to stop third party fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram (Jan 8). Zuckerberg has funded external organisations accredited by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) with US$100 million since 2016 to conduct fact-checking on its social networks.He has claimed that his choice was influenced by Trump’s reelection since it marked a “cultural tipping point” in favour of freedom of speech. Additionally, he thinks that fact checkers have “destroyed the trust” of the American public and have become very politically biassed. Following Musk’s lead, Zuckerberg will implement a “community notes” system in Meta. According to misinformation experts, Zuckerberg’s close relationship with Trump is a frightening indication that Trump will spread misinformation and remove accountability. Fact-checking journalists are preparing for layoffs at their different organisations, and it’s unclear if there will be media firms available to cover the financial voids left by Meta.
Source : Al Jazeera, The Guardian
Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced his imminent resignation as Liberal Party leader due to mounting internal pressure (Jan 6). When a new leader is selected in the next federal elections on October 20, he will also step down as prime minister. During his nine years in office, Trudeau’s popularity increasingly diminished , and his government has narrowly survived numerous no-confidence votes. His disagreement with former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on their response to Trump’s tariff threat, and her subsequent resignation in December put him under increased scrutiny. Days later, to quell the political turmoil, he suggested a drastic reorganisation of the cabinet, replacing a third of his staff. With Trudeau’s resignation, the party will be left without a permanent leader at a time and polls indicate the Liberals will struggle to defeat the Conservatives in the upcoming elections.
Source : Al Jazeera
The United States House enacted a bill to sanction International Criminal Court officials in a response to the court granting warrants to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Jan 9). The bill is anticipated to next be considered by the Republican-controlled Senate. Last year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and a senior Hamas official, charging them of war crimes committed following the Hamas-led strikes on Israel on October 7, 2023. The legislation condemns the warrants against Israeli officials and would also levy sanctions on the court for “any effort to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies.” This includes restricting US property purchases and blocking and revoking visas. Although there has been bipartisan support for US’s military assistance to Israel, there has been intensified scrutiny over this and has caused a rift in the Democratic party.
Source : CNN
Europe
The Republic of Ireland faces a utilities crisis as the cold snap arrested their pipelines and power grid earlier on Tuesday (Jan 7). This incident has resulted in the postponement of numerous healthcare appointments deemed non-urgent. Restoration efforts were conducted by Uisce Éireann and ESB Networks. This incident highlights a darker, more sinister angle of industry privatisation as it is observed that it took DAYS to restore utilities essential to the proper functioning of critical industries from hospitals to telecommunications. Had this been a public good, one could only imagine the desperate efficiency extractable from the government.
Source: Asian News Today
The Labour Party of the United Kingdom voted down a national inquiry put forth by the Tories on Wednesday (Jan 8). This inquiry was brought forth following the reveal of grooming gangs, essentially rape gangs, occurring within various English Towns. This scandal is not new but is brought forth following allegations against Keir Starmer’s role in covering up many such cases. Labour MPs were later revealed to have been ordered to vote down the inquiry despite the failure of their leader, Sir Keir, amongst 9 other MPs to show up on the day of the vote. If the UK is truly to posit themselves as a great democracy within the international, this incident certainly does them no favours in securing such a position.
Source: SkyNews, Independent
Elon Musk has been the subject of criticism across Europe as he sets his sights on the region for expansion of Starlink, a product that would provide access to various internet services that would undoubtedly create a more inclusive society. However, on Wednesday (Jan 8), as Musk provided criticism upon various European politicians ranging from the UK to Germany and beyond, he has received similar backlash with accusations of far-right conspiracy engagement. This comes despite the fact that politicians across Europe do not seem to be making the effort to expand their digital infrastructural network in considering other services and products beyond their domestic capabilities. The abuse of the word ‘misinformation’ can be noted to be a synergistic buzzword utilised across the various criticisms as this term is able to arrest credibility under the guise of labelling statements as untrue despite the fact that they often simply oppose a held ideology.
Source: BBC
Russian shelling is said to have killed 13 in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine. Last Thursday (Jan 9), it was reported that Russia deployed guided aerial bombs in the middle of the day targeting the city of Zaporizhzhia located South of Ukraine. It was reported that industrial sites of interest were targeted but the bombs landed on a residential site. Zelensky remarked that it was cruel of Russia to launch bombs on a city with knowledge that only the ordinary citizen would suffer.
Source: BBC
Ukraine and Poland agreed last Saturday (Jan 11) to exhume the bodies of over 100,000 WWII Polish massacre victims that have long soured relations between the two countries. This is believed to be a bilateral breakthrough notwithstanding the fact that Ukraine seeks to garner as much support from NATO countries in aiding their membership. Poland has been a member of NATO since 1999, it is however, important to note that NATO admits European states into the security organisation through a unanimous vote.
Source: euronews
Asia-Pacific
Indonesia has officially become the first Southeast Asian country to join BRICS as a full member following a statement by Brazil last Monday (Jan 6) that Indonesia’s application in 2024 had been accepted. This is later followed by Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono reflecting that this decision underlined a crucial free and active foreign policy possessed by the state. This is believed to set a precedent in the region, possibly setting back decades worth of multilateral efforts in pushing China away from claiming parts of the South China Sea allegedly for weapons testing.
Source: The Diplomat, Reuters
Singapore and Malaysia came to an agreement last Tuesday (Jan 7) on a special economic zone between Johor and Singapore. This bilateral agreement allows for the development of infrastructure of various industrial and commercial products and to various scales. The two countries hope to welcome investors and MNCs to the region with this zone that would provide various subsidies and governmental support on a project basis, potentially allowing for the creation of jobs for locals and opportunities for economic growth.
Source: CNA
Pyongyang, North Korea has claimed to have fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile armed with a hypersonic warhead last Tuesday (Jan 7). This was the first launch in two months, coincidentally as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Seoul. A hypersonic warhead enables a missile to travel at an extremely high speed, potentially bypassing anti-missile defense systems at the cost of target accuracy. Given the range of this missile it is clear that North Korea seeks to wield this forceful technology against various targets in the Pacific ranging from their historical enemy, South Korea to their bitter ally, China.
Source: BBC
South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol faces a second arrest attempt following the failure of the first last Wednesday (Jan 8). This comes after attempts to access Yoon’s fortified compound were unsuccessful and the presidential security service obstructed any cohesive attempts. Yoon is wanted to be interviewed by the South Korean courts for insurrection and to progress the impeachment process that was successfully voted by parliamentarians on December 14 of last year.
Source: CNA
The Myanmar junta conducted an air strike on a village in Rakhine last Thursday (Jan 9), reportedly killing 40 according to AFP who were informed by the Arakan Army. Despite this attack, rebels in Myanmar have not surrendered ground and continue to press on towards the capital, Sittwe in hopes of overthrowing the junta that has illegally been in power since February 2021.
Source: CNA
Middle East
A UK-led study published in The Lancet suggests the Palestinian death toll from the Gaza war could be significantly underreported, estimating 64,260 deaths from traumatic injury in the first nine months of the conflict— 41% higher than the 37,877 fatalities reported by Gaza’s health ministry on Sat (Jan 11). The study used statistical methods to analyze multiple data sources, noting that most victims were women, children, and the elderly. Israel disputes the figures, claiming to have eliminated over 17,000 Hamas combatants, though verification is challenging as international journalists are barred from Gaza. The war began on 7 October 2023, after a Hamas attack on Israel, leading to a massive Israeli military offensive.
Hania Zataari, a mechanical engineer from Sidon, Lebanon, created an innovative WhatsApp-based chatbot, “aidbot,” to streamline aid distribution for those displaced by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah on Sat (Jan 11). Using her programming skills, she developed the bot to collect and manage requests for essentials like food, blankets, and medicine, funded by donations from the Lebanese diaspora. Since its launch in 2023, the bot has helped deliver over 900 mattresses and hundreds of other necessities. Despite challenges posed by Lebanon’s economic crisis and limited NGO funding, the aidbot has eased access to support for displaced families, though its scalability to other regions remains uncertain.
In the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election, Israeli settlers in the West Bank are optimistic about the possibility of formal annexation, citing Trump’s support for Israeli territorial claims on Fri (Jan 10). Settler leaders, like Sondra Baras, view the West Bank as part of Biblical Judea and Samaria, and they hope Trump’s administration will back their push for sovereignty. However, the potential annexation faces complex challenges, including the risk of alienating key allies like Saudi Arabia and moderate U.S. Republicans. Meanwhile, Palestinians argue that Israel’s de facto annexation is already underway, citing settlement expansion and the demolition of Palestinian homes. Despite the political divide, many see Trump’s presidency as a potential turning point for the future of the West Bank.
An Israeli drone strike in the West Bank town of Tammun killed three Palestinians, including two children, sparking outrage from Palestinian officials on Fri (Jan 10). The victims, Adam Besharat, 23, and his cousins Hamza, 10, and Reda, 8, were reportedly sitting outside a house when the drone targeted them. The Israeli military initially claimed it struck a “terrorist cell” but later said the incident was under review. The attack follows heightened violence in the region since the October 2023 Hamas assault on Israel, with Israel conducting frequent raids to curb Palestinian attacks, while Palestinian groups retaliate. The strike has drawn condemnation for its brutality and violation of international law.
The Israeli military has confirmed the discovery of the body of Yousef Zyadna on Thu (Jan 9), a Bedouin Arab man taken hostage by Hamas during the 7 October 2023 attack, in a Gaza tunnel. His son, Hamza, remains missing, with concerns raised about his fate. The Zyadna family had previously seen the release of two other children in a ceasefire deal in November 2023. The discovery of Yousef’s body comes as talks for a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas are progressing, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stating that a deal could be close. Meanwhile, at least 14 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza, as violence continues.
Africa
Sudan’s army had made inroads into the central city of Wad Madani and was driving away the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), their adversaries (Jan 11). If successful, this move would be the company’s largest victory in the last two years of conflict. The state, situated at the centre of the country and south of the capital, Khartoum, has suffered some of the RSF’s most violent attacks on civilians. Crops have also been burnt, hospitals and markets plundered, and irrigation ditches inundated. Experts have identified Madani as a famine-risk site due to the conflict’s blockades, despite its long history as an agricultural commerce hub. Reclaiming the entire state could be the turning point in the battle, which began in April 2023 as a power struggle between the RSF and SAF and culminated in one of history’s worst humanitarian tragedies.
Source : Reuters
A violent border attack in Northern Benin, along the border with Burkina Faso and Nigeria, inflicted a severe setback to the Benin military. (Jan 8). Twenty-eight soldiers died in this assault and Colonel Faizou Gomina, chief of staff for the National Guard, as a “very hard blow.”. Even though the identity of the perpetrators are unknown, it is likely attributed to the jihadist groups attacks’ to Benin’s northern region. Military actions have been enacted in response, and 40 attackers have been neutralised thus far. Colonel Gomina has asked military authorities to reconsider their approaches in order to deal with the escalating security issues. More than 120 Beninese troops have been killed in the area since 2021, and extreme Islamist activity remains a serious concern.
Source : Africa News
Chad’s administration claimed security forces thwarted an effort to storm the presidential palace (Jan 8), killing 18 out of 24 armed men. Additionally, the government had suffered one death in its security forces. According to Abderaman Koulamallah, a government official, Mahamat Déby, was in the complex when the attack happened. According to a security source, the incident was a “attempted terrorist attack”. The soldiers sealed off the surrounding streets when gunfire erupted near the president’s office in the capital, N’Djamena. However, Koulamallah stated that they were “probably not” rebels, calling them instead as inebriated “Pieds Nickeles”.These activities coincided with a state visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Chad. Furthermore, it occurs less than two weeks after Chad held a contentious general election.
Source : Reuters
Ethiopia inaugurated a securities exchange, which is a watershed in Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s effort to open up the country’s tightly regulated economy for private investors (Jan 10). Tilahun Kassahun, CEO of the Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX), claimed that he expects 90 companies to join over the next decade. Ethio Telecom, a state-owned firm seeking an IPO, is also anticipated to float its shares on the exchange. Following the abolition of its securities exchange in 1974, Abiy’s efforts to liberalise the economy since taking president in 2018 have piqued the interest of multinational firms such as Kenya’s Safaricom (SCOM.NR).Progress had stagnated due to armed conflict, especially the 2020-21 civil war in northern Tigray, and investors have questioned the government’s genuine commitment to reform. Investors in Ethiopia, however, perceive this as a historic occasion.
Source : Reuters
Nigeria was granted a $254.76 million loan from the China Development Bank for a railway project that would connect the northern regions of Kaduna and Kano(Jan 8). This came before China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to the West African country this week, as part of his annual New Year’s tour of Africa. He will meet with President Bola Tinubu and other high-ranking government officials. Financial issues have caused the planned $973 million Kaduna-to-Kano rail project to be delayed in its development. The China Development Bank is stating that the loan will provide financial support for the smooth construction of the 203-kilometer standard-gauge railway.
Source : Reuters
South America
Brazil’s ongoing reckoning with its military dictatorship (1964 –1985) resurfaced in national conversations as families of victims fought for justice and recognition on Sun (Jan 12). Philosophy professor Tessa Moura Lacerda shared her decades-long struggle to correct her father Gildo’s death certificate, acknowledging his violent death under the regime. A newly reinstated commission aims to rectify all victims’ records, a step many see as vital for historical accountability. Meanwhile, the BAFTA-winning director Walter Salles’ film I’m Still Here reignited public interest, chronicling the struggles of Eunice Paiva, whose husband was tortured and killed during the dictatorship. The film resonates deeply in a politically polarized Brazil, where debates over historical memory remain heated.
Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a contested third term as Venezuela’s president, sparking global backlash on Sat (Jan 11). The US raised its reward to $25m for his arrest on narcotics charges, while the UK, EU, and Canada imposed new sanctions for undermining democracy and human rights. Maduro blamed US sanctions for Venezuela’s economic woes, while critics pointed to corruption. His tightly controlled inauguration was boycotted by most international leaders, with only Cuba and Nicaragua attending. Meanwhile, exiled opposition leader Edmundo González continues to rally support as the UN called for the release of arbitrarily detained individuals.
A Venezuelan activist, “Juan,” detailed harrowing accounts of torture and inhumane conditions in the notorious Tocorón prison following his arrest during protests against Nicolás Maduro’s contested re-election on Fri (Jan 10). Juan described torture, rotten food, and “punishment cells” while sharing his hope for change ahead of opposition leader Edmundo González’s planned return on January 10, 2025, to claim the presidency based on disputed election tallies. International criticism of Maduro’s government continues, with the ICC investigating alleged crimes against humanity and President Biden endorsing González as the “true winner.” Despite his release, Juan remains determined to support the opposition amid ongoing repression and political unrest.
Exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González met with US President Joe Biden, who called him “the true winner” of last July’s disputed election on Wed (Jan 8). The Maduro government, claiming victory, condemned the meeting. González, exiled in Spain, vowed to return despite an arrest warrant and $100,000 bounty. Opposition protests are planned ahead of Friday’s inauguration, with international support growing after González’s meetings with Latin American leaders. Independent reviews suggest González won 67% of the vote, but the government-controlled electoral council has withheld results. The UN has ordered Venezuela not to destroy key voting tallies.
Guatemalan soldiers have joined a UN-backed mission in Haiti to combat escalating gang violence, with 150 troops arriving in Port-au-Prince to support a Kenyan-led force of 2,500 international officers on Mon (Jan 6). Despite Kenya deploying 400 police officers last year, violence has surged, including a March 2024 prison break freeing 3,700 inmates. Haiti has been under a state of emergency since March, grappling with chronic instability, economic turmoil, and gang control, worsened by the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The US remains the mission’s largest funder, with contributions from Jamaica, Belize, and El Salvador.
