NuseReal
Headlines for internationalists
Major news
UN treaty to protect 'extraordinary' marine life due to come into force on 17 January (LINK) 16 January 2026
— 148 countries, representing more than three-quarters of all UN member states, have signed on to the High Seas Treaty since it was adopted in June 2023. 81 governments agreed to include it in their national laws, bringing it into force. The treaty offers new protections to an area covering two-thirds of the world's oceans and as many as 10 million different species, many of which are still unidentified.
UN chief warns of a world in chaos as impunity and unpredictability spreads (LINK) 15 January 2026
UN chief's last annual speech slams world leaders for lack of cooperation — (LINK)
UN chief attacks world leaders putting cooperation on 'deathwatch' in final annual speech — (LINK)
AP: UN chief lashes out at countries violating international law — (LINK)
China and Canada announce tariffs relief after a high-stakes meeting between Carney and Xi (LINK) 16 January 2026
UNCTAD: 10 trends shaping global trade in 2026: lower growth, rising protectionism and structural shifts in value chains, services and regulation are redefining trade flows, creating new risks and opportunities (LINK) 15 January 2026
Heather Cox Richardson: U.S. Department of Justice has released less than 1% of the Epstein files despite the law, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Congress passed requiring the release of those files in full no later than December 19 (LINK) 15 January 2026
U.K. veterans aged 65 told to prepare for war (LINK) 15 January 2026
Actor Timothy Busfield, 68, charged with sexually abusing boys on set of TV series (LINK) 15 January 2026
— Busfield,rwho starred in Thirtysomething and The West Wing, has made his first court appearance after turning himself in on criminal charges that he allegedly sexually abused two boys on the set of a TV series filmed in New Mexico, prosecutors say.
Catchup: UN chief warns he could refer Israel to ICJ over laws targeting UNRWA (LINK) 13 January 2026
Breaking news
WEF: Donald Trump set to dominate Davos 2026 whose theme is A Spirit of Dialogue, starting 19 January (LINK) 16 January 2026
— Donald Trump will be joined by more than 60 heads of state and government, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Argentinian President Javier Milei, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, China's Vice Premier He Lifeng, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa. Trump is leading the largest US delegation ever to Davos, comprising five cabinet secretaries and other senior officials. Top tech leaders such as Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Google's AI chief Demis Hassabis will be at the event.
— Trump is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kyiv's G7 allies — including leaders from Germany, Italy, France, the UK, Canada and the European Commission president — on the sidelines of the main event to seek US backing for security guarantees for Ukraine after a possible peace agreement with Russia, the Financial Times reported.
— The strong US presence would be complemented by the first-ever "USA House" — a venue housed in a small church on the town's main Promenade street, where US officials will host events and network with investors.
— This year's meeting would be the first without WEF founder Klaus Schwab at the helm. The German-born economist resigned in April 2025, amid allegations that he and his wife used WEF funds for personal use. An independent inquiry, however, found no criminal misconduct, only minor irregularities. Schwab has been succeeded by interim co-chairs Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, and Andre Hoffmann, vice chair of Swiss pharmaceuticals company Roche Holdings.
Gavin Newsom is heading to Davos with plans to call out Trump — (LINK)
— Trump is scheduled to speak at Davos on January 21. Newsom is scheduled to speak on January 22. The governor's office said he plans to challenge CEOs and institutions that it says have been complicit in Trump's efforts to erode democracy. He also plans to make the case for "democratic capitalism" as opposed to "crony capitalism."
WEF Global Risks Report 2026: geopolitical and economic risks rise in new age of competition (LINK)
— Half of those surveyed anticipate a turbulent or stormy world over the next two years, up 14 percentage points from last year. A further 40% expect the two-year outlook to be unsettled at the very least, while 9% expect stability and 1% predict calm. When it comes to the outlook for the next 10 years, 57% expect a turbulent or stormy world, 32% expect things to be unsettled, 10% predict stability and 1% anticipate calm.
The WEF Global Cooperation Barometer 2026 — Third Edition: The overall level of global collaboration has held steady in the face of sustained pressure but its shape is changing as geopolitical tensions, conflict and fragmentation strain traditional multilateral approaches. Cooperation is advancing where it is targeted, interest-based and regional, offering a picture of what collaborative approaches can look like in a new geopolitical context (LINK)
Al Jazeera: Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,422 (LINK) 16 January 2026
- Ukraine's Ministry of Energy said that new power outages were affecting customers in the Zhytomyr and Kharkiv regions following an overnight Russian attack. Network restrictions remained in place in the capital Kyiv, the Kyiv region, and the Odesa region, the ministry added in a statement.
- Kateryna Pop, spokeswoman for the Kyiv City Military Administration, said that 287 residential buildings remain without heating in Kyiv more than a week after a massive Russian attack damaged infrastructure there, and as temperatures continue to fall to -17 degrees Celsius (1.4 Fahrenheit) overnight.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the national government would take over responsibility for Kyiv's energy as the city had not responded quickly enough to the current crisis, according to the Ukrinform news site.
- A Ukrainian attack left close to 87,000 people without electricity in Russian-occupied Zaporizhia, Russian-appointed official Yevhen Balitsky wrote on Telegram.
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva told the Reuters news agency during a visit to Kyiv that she expects to ask the fund's executive board to approve a new $8.1bn lending programme for Ukraine within weeks.
- French President Emmanuel Macron said that France is now providing two-thirds of intelligence information to Ukraine, largely replacing the US, which until last year had delivered the majority of those services.
European military personnel arrive in Greenland as Trump says US needs island (LINK) 15 January 2026
US military seizes 6th Venezuela oil tanker under Trump sanctions (LINK) 15 January 2026
Venezuela: Machado gives Trump her Nobel Peace Prize (LINK) 15 January 2026
— Trump sidelined Machado after the US kidnapped Maduro, saying she didn't "have the support within or the respect within the country" to be in charge. On Thursday, the White House said Trump has not changed his opinion on Machado.
The Louvre raises ticket prices by 45% to €32 for non-EU visitors (LINK) 14 January 2026
Major news
UN treaty to protect 'extraordinary' marine life due to come into force on 17 January (LINK) 16 January 2026
— 148 countries, representing more than three-quarters of all UN member states, have signed on to the High Seas Treaty since it was adopted in June 2023. 81 governments agreed to include it in their national laws, bringing it into force. The treaty offers new protections to an area covering two-thirds of the world's oceans and as many as 10 million different species, many of which are still unidentified.
UN chief warns of a world in chaos as impunity and unpredictability spreads (LINK) 15 January 2026
UN chief's last annual speech slams world leaders for lack of cooperation — (LINK)
UN chief attacks world leaders putting cooperation on 'deathwatch' in final annual speech — (LINK)
AP: UN chief lashes out at countries violating international law — (LINK)
China and Canada announce tariffs relief after a high-stakes meeting between Carney and Xi (LINK) 16 January 2026
UNCTAD: 10 trends shaping global trade in 2026: lower growth, rising protectionism and structural shifts in value chains, services and regulation are redefining trade flows, creating new risks and opportunities (LINK) 15 January 2026
Heather Cox Richardson: U.S. Department of Justice has released less than 1% of the Epstein files despite the law, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Congress passed requiring the release of those files in full no later than December 19 (LINK) 15 January 2026
U.K. veterans aged 65 told to prepare for war (LINK) 15 January 2026
Actor Timothy Busfield, 68, charged with sexually abusing boys on set of TV series (LINK) 15 January 2026
— Busfield,rwho starred in Thirtysomething and The West Wing, has made his first court appearance after turning himself in on criminal charges that he allegedly sexually abused two boys on the set of a TV series filmed in New Mexico, prosecutors say.
Catchup: UN chief warns he could refer Israel to ICJ over laws targeting UNRWA (LINK) 13 January 2026
Miscellaneous
US justice department investigating Minnesota Democrats Gov Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over alleged obstruction of ICE (LINK) 16 January 2026
Letting sheep graze alongside solar panels: 'A massive leg-up' for fU.K's armers and for panel operators — can save operators up to $67,000 per year on mowing and herbicide treatments, and many offer grazing rights at no cost, opening doors for producers who would otherwise be priced out of the industry (LINK) 16 January 2026
Twice convicted, twice pardoned: Trump again pardons South Bay businesswoman convicted of fraud with brother (LINK) 16 January 2026
— Precisely why the two siblings were pardoned is unclear. No reason was given in the order Trump signed. The brother and sister were convicted by a jury in 2024 for running a scheme where several Otay Mesa companies they controlled bought an array of household goods from various companies and promised they would sell the products in Mexico or in domestic prisons and rehabilitation centers. That allowed them to purchase the goods at a discounted price. Instead, the products were sold back into the U.S. market – at U.S. level prices. After her release, both Adriana and Andres Camberos made a maximum $360 campaign fund to John McCann's 2022 mayoral campaign.
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