Headlines: 12-18 January 2026

Sunday 18 January 2026

Ukrainian drone strikes cut power to hundreds of thousands in Russia-occupied southern Ukraine (LINK) 18 January 2026

Wildfires race across Chile, leaving 18 dead and forcing thousands to flee (LINK) 18 January 2026

Trump suffers major losses in his war on offshore wind: The administration's arguments that offshore wind farms present a national security risk failed to convince judges in three separate courts (LINK) 18 January 2026

Tragedy in Crans-Montana: Jacques Moretti, who had been convicted in Annecy in 2008 for incitement to prostitution, was sentenced in Montana in 2016 for moonlighting staff. But his smartphone was confiscated only after eight days (LINK) 18 January 2026

Waitress survivor of bar fire describes dangerous working conditions inside the basement nightclub, alleging that staff had zero fire safety training or emergency exit knowledge. 34 victims passed away on a single staircase that had been narrowed by the owners (LINK) 18 January 2026

Samsung set to hand out record bonuses as AI boom translates into profits (LINK) 18 January 2026

Google search traffic to news sites plunges by one-third globally and 38% in the US (LINK) 18 January 2026

— Google responded by questioning the findings. Its own numbers do not match the sharp declines described in the report. Google also pointed out that the study left out traffic numbers from Google News. Social media platforms are also sending fewer readers to news websites. Since May 2023, traffic from Facebook has dropped 43% worldwide and 35% in America. Traffic from X fell even faster, declining 46% globally and 45% in the United States.

The best free AI courses and certificates for upskilling in 2026 (LINK) 18 January 2026

Saturday 17 January 2026

Secretary-General on UN at 80: Speaking at Methodist Central Hall in London, the same venue where the first-ever UN General Assembly was held on 10 January 1946, he said the "values of multilateralism are being chipped away" (LINK) 17 January 2026

Trump says 8 European countries will be charged a 10% tariff rising to 25% on June 1 for opposing US control of Greenland: hits Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland — (LINK)< span class="media">ground.news: 11 media reports — 17 January 2026 (LINK)

Trump threatens to sue JPMorgan Chase for 'debanking' him following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol (LINK) 17 January 2026

Israel says US Gaza executive board composition against its policy — (LINK) ground.news: 56 media reports — 17 January 2026 (LINK)

— The panel, known as the Gaza executive board, notably includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and a Qatari official and was announced by the White House on Friday. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "The announcement regarding the composition of the Gaza Executive Board, which is subordinate to the Board of Peace, was not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy."

Trump asks countries to pay $1 billion for permanent Peace Board seats, a claim the White House denies as misleading — (LINK) ground.news: 62 media reports — 17 January 2026 (LINK)

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, 81, wins seventh term as opposition rejects results — (LINK) ground.news: 183 smedia reports — 17 January 2026 (LINK)

Guinea's Doumbouya is sworn in as president, cementing transition from junta chief to elected leader — (LINK) ground.news: 26 media reports — 17 January 2026 (LINK)

Switzerland joins Germany, Sweden, Italy, Portugal, Iceland, France, and more than 30 countries In Europe struggling with heightened travel barriers as Canada freezes start-up visa applications since 1 January (LINK) 17 January 2026

— "Canada's Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has stated that this pause is not a permanent decision but a strategic shift. The aim is to transition to a new, more selective entrepreneur pilot program that will be launched later in 2026. In the interim, individuals who have already secured a commitment certificate from a designated organization in 2025 will still be eligible to apply until June 30, 2026. However, new applicants without such certificates will face a difficult wait until the new program is operational."

— "For countries like Switzerland and Germany, known for their strong start-up cultures, the suspension is particularly difficult. Entrepreneurs who had hoped to capitalize on Canada's business-friendly immigration policies are now forced to reconsider their options, possibly delaying or even abandoning plans to establish themselves in Canada."

What the melting Alps have revealed (LINK) 17 January 2026

Friday 16 January 2026

UN: world news in brief: Gaza education update, the General Assembly at 80, Venezuela's humanitarian needs (LINK) 16 January 2026

Trump offers to mediate Egypt-Ethiopia dispute on Nile River waters — (LINK) ground.news: 124 media reports — 16 January 2026 (LINK)

US launches another retaliatory strike in Syria, killing leader tied to deadly Islamic State ambush (LINK) 16 January 2026

Saudi Arabia in talks With Egypt, Somalia on military coalition amid efforts to curb the UAE's influence in the region — (LINK) ground.news: 12 media reports — 16 January 2026 (LINK)

Trump names Rubio, Blair, Kushner to lead Gaza Board of Peace — (LINK) ground.news: 519 media reports — 16 January 2026 (LINK)

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."

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.

China and Canada announce tariffs relief after a high-stakes meeting between Carney and Xi (LINK) 16 January 2026

US justice department investigating Minnesota Democrats Gov Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over alleged obstruction of ICE (LINK) 16 January 2026

Elon Musk seeks up to $134 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft in 'wrongful gains' from his early support (LINK) 16 January 2026

— OpenAI gained between $65.5 ?billion and $109.4 billion from the billionaire entrepreneur's ?contributions when he was co-founding what was then a startup from 2015, while Microsoft gained between $13.3 billion and $25.1 billion, Musk said in the federal court filing ahead of his trial against the two companies. "Without Elon Musk, there'd be no OpenAI. He provided the bulk of ?the ?seed funding, lent his reputation, and taught them all he knows about scaling a business. A pre-eminent expert quantified the value of that," Musk's lead trial lawyer Steven Molo said in a statement to Reuters.

The Martha Graham Dance Company, on a centennial nationwide tour, has announced it will no longer be performing at the Kennedy Center in April, joining a slew of other cancelations at the historic performing arts center in the wake of Donald Trump's controversial takeover. (LINK) 16 January 2026

China and Russia in talks after halt to power supplies: Kommersant newspaper linked the halt to higher power prices in Russia compared with China's domestic prices — (LINK) ground.news: 21 media reports — 16 January 2026 (LINK)

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.

Studies may have "detected" microplastics in the human brain because of a severe error: the same indicators for the materials used in microplastics like polyethylene can also be produced from the fats present in human tissue (LINK) 17 January 2026

— "At present, experts aren't sure how microplastics affect our health, nor have they definitely proven that they're harmful to us (though there are no shortage of studies suggesting they do). We do have plastics in us — that is safe to assume. But real hard proof on how much is yet to come."

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

Thursday 15 January 2026

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)

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

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.

U.K. veterans aged 65 told to prepare for war (LINK) 15 January 2026

European survey finds only 16 percent still consider the U.S. an ally, against 20 percent who view America as a rival or enemy (LINK) 15 January 2026

Chad: 7 soldiers killed in reported clash at Sudanese border with RSF — (LINK) ground.news: 10 media reports — 15 January 2026 (LINK)

— NewArab: The RSF's war with the Sudanese army has killed tens of thousands of people and forced some 12 million from their homes since it erupted in April 2023.

Elon Musk's xAI datacenter generating extra electricity illegally, regulator rules: Memphis activists who say 'Colossus' facilities add extra pollution to already overburdened communities (LINK) 15 January 2026

Trump using Insurrection Act in Minneapolis would be a huge risk — even by his standards: the shooting episode that's viewed as triggering a possible government military crackdown is … something the American people blame on the government itself — and by wide margins (LINK) 15 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

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.

Amazon threatens 'drastic' action after Saks bankruptcy, says $475M stake is now worthless (LINK) 15 January 2026

Wednesday 14 January 2026

Brussels unveils proposal for €90 billion loan for Ukraine, urging EU lawmakers to approve it fast — (LINK) ground.news: 54 media reports — 14 January 2026 (LINK)

Trump says 'anything less' than US control of Greenland is 'unacceptable': Vice President JD Vance is set to host a meeting Wednesday morning with the Danish foreign minister and his Greenlandic counterpart alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio (LINK) 14 January 2026

US gets first $500 million Venezuelan oil deal, holding some proceeds in Qatar (LINK) 14 January 2026

At least 32 killed after crane collapses on moving train in north-east Thailand (LINK) 14 January 2026

U.S. Supreme Court delays Trump tariff decision without new date for hearing — Bitcoin rockets towards $97K (14 January 2026

'Nobel Prize for Environment' awarded to specialist in mycorrhizal fungi (LINK) 14 January 2026

— Toby Kiers "has been active [in] combining academic research, global expeditions, technological innovations and advocacy work. Toby's work to translate scientific insight into real-world action demonstrates her leadership in advancing global efforts to protect the fungal networks that sustain life on Earth."

Following Vaud and Valais, Geneva has banned the use of pyrotechnic devices inside all bars, restaurants and entertainment venues (LINK) 14 January 2026

French waitress, 24, who allegedly started Swiss ski resort fire and died in blaze, was "stepdaughter" of owner and was following orders to liven up quiet evening, say parents (LINK) 14 January 2026

— She had been told to "get the atmosphere going" because the night had been "very quiet", with few people entering the bar to celebrate the New Year, according to police statements obtained by BFMTV. The owner and the waitress's boyfriend "tried to resuscitate her for more than an hour in the street near the bar, until the emergency services told [them] it was too late."

Almost none of the homes burned in LA have been rebuilt since last year's fires (LINK) 14 January 2026

Risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits, report says: can "undermine children's foundational development" and "the damages it has already caused are daunting," though "fixable" (LINK) 14 January 2026

Most TV shows promote the wrong idea when it comes to performing CPR: in 169 medical drama episodes — fewer than three in ten accurately showed Hands-Only CPR. Nearly half included mouth-to-mouth breathing, and many showed characters stopping to check for a pulse — actions that can waste valuable time in real emergencies (LINK) 14 January 2026

Neuroscientist survey shows that 40 percent think it might be possible to preserve a human brain, potentially well enough to decode its long-term memories after death. That opens the door to rebooting a person someday, complete with their memories, using whole brain emulation (LINK) 14 January 2026

Ancient Roman wall uncovered in Switzerland is "archaeological sensation" for variety of artifacts (LINK) 14 January 2026

NorthC to develop 4.5MW data center in Geneva, Switzerland (LINK) 14 January 2026

Tuesday 13 January 2026

At least 1,850 protesters reported killed in Iran as Trump says 'help is on its way': cancelled meetings with Iranian officials (LINK) 13 January 2026

US tariff revenue dropped by almost $3 billion from November to December: the second straight monthly decline after Trump dialed back key tariffs last November, and a more than 10% drop from the October high (LINK) 13 January 2026

Trump threatens to halt federal money next month to sanctuary cities, states (LINK) 13 January 2026

U.S. Justice Department sees no basis for civil rights probe into Minnesota ICE shooting of Renee Good, official says: (LINK) 13 January 2026

— CNN: "Also this week, roughly half a dozen federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned and several supervisors in the criminal section of the Civil Rights Division in Washington gave notice of their departures amid turmoil over the federal probe, according to people familiar with the matter. Hundreds of Justice Department lawyers have been fired or have left voluntarily over the last year [...] from concerns over political pressure or shifting priorities under the Trump administration.

Trump steps up pressure campaign to avoid rare Congress reprimand on war powers (LINK) 13 January 2026

— CNN: "On the cusp of a key Senate vote that would rein in Trump from further actions in Venezuela without Congress' approval, an agitated Trump and his team are dialing up critical GOP lawmakers to pressure them to stay in line."

WEF confirms participation of Donald Trump. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also attend (LINK) 13 January 2026

Israel cuts ties with three global bodies after US withdrawal, foreign ministry says: UN Energy, the UN Alliance of Civilisations and the Global Forum on Migration and Development (LINK) 13 January 2026

Saks Global files for bankruptcy amid luxury market strains (LINK) 13 January 2026

U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in blockbuster cases challenging transgender sports bans (LINK) 13 January 2026

Clintons refuse to testify in congressional Epstein probe despite contempt of court threat (LINK) 13 January 2026

Alcohol too cheap in Europe as health impact mounts, WHO warns: official says "More affordable alcohol drives violence, injuries and disease" (LINK) 13 January 2026

— Beer has become more affordable in 11 EU countries since 2022, and less affordable in six, a WHO report revealed. There was a similar but even more dramatic trend for spirits, which became more affordable in 17 EU countries and less affordable in two. And for wine, 14 EU countries do not tax it at all, including big producers Italy and Spain, the report found.

Artemis II: we are going back to the moon soon after 54 years: will launch four astronauts to the moon, who'll steer the Orion spacecraft to its destination. The mission date is set in 22 days (LINK) 13 January 2026

Claudette Colvin, who refused to move seats on a bus at start of civil rights movement, dies at 86 (LINK) 13 January 2026

— Colvin, at age 15, was arrested nine months before Rosa Parks gained international fame for also refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus.

Woman has 150 grandchildren, 50 great-grandchildren and 50 great-great-grandchildren. Then she meets one for the first time (LINK) 13 January 2026

Gen Z has declared a new "Karen": "Jessica", although some argue that it should be "Ashley" (LINK) 13 January 2026

— According to TikTok, Reddit, and the broader internet, "Jessica" is now shorthand for a very specific type of person. They post long rants about minor inconveniences on social media, are always deeply convinced they're in the right, even when they're not, and say things like, "I'm not trying to be rude, but…"

Rights of Nature: a reading list (LINK) 13 January 2026

Monday 12 January 2026

Ukraine-Russia war latest: UK announces Project Nightfall to provide Kyiv with new missiles (LINK) 12 January 2026

— Later on Monday the UN Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting to discuss Russia's use of its Oreshnik hypersonic missile just 60 miles from the border of Nato member Poland. Russia has claimed the Oreshnik strike was retaliation for an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on one of Putin's residences, an allegation Kyiv denies.

Australia: bushfire in Central Victoria destroys 47 homes and cooperative near artistic hub of Castlemaine: residents testify (LINK) 12 January 2026

— Fire ignited north of the apple-growing region of Harcourt in central Victoria on Friday afternoon. By that evening flames, fanned by fierce winds, were running down hills into the Harcourt Valley and the township, razing three local businesses and 47 homes.

Malaysia and Indonesia become the first countries to block Musk's Grok over sexualized AI images (LINK) 12 January 2026

Minnesota and Illinois are suing the Trump administration over immigration operations (LINK) 12 January 2026

FIFA to refund 16,000 2026 world cup tickets amid Trump USA boycott (LINK) 12 January 2026

Sen. Mark Kelly sues Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over efforts to reduce his military retirement rank (LINK) 12 January 2026

Paul Krugman: The ignominious death of drill, baby, drill (LINK) 12 January 2026

— 'Darren Woods, the CEO of ExxonMobil, blurted out the awkward truth — namely that Venezuela is "uninvestable" under current conditions. On Sunday evening Trump responded by saying that he was "inclined" to block ExxonMobil from investing in Venezuela. "I didn't like their response." The Bureau of Land Management auctioned off more than 20,000 acres of public land in Colorado for oil and gas drilling. Or I should say, tried to auction the land off — because there were no bids, despite the fact that the land was offered at very low prices.'

10 dangerous U.S. cities you shouldn't buy a home in no matter the price (LINK) 12 January 2026