Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Trump weighs military option to take control of Greenland


CONFLICTS / UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Shakeel Sobhan with AP, AFP, Reuters

The US president has argued that control of Greenland is a "strategic" necessity. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has tried to downplay Trump's rhetoric, emphasizing the preferred option would be to buy Greenland.

US President Donald Trump is considering options that include military action to take control of Greenland, the White House said on Tuesday.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

U.S. to lead "multinational force" for Ukraine's security


efsyn.gr
EUROPE 06.01.26

The draft joint declaration, as reported by Agence France-Presse, outlines the details of a "multinational force" with European participation under U.S. leadership.

According to a draft joint declaration ahead of the Paris summit, the United States will lead a "ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism" with European involvement if a peace agreement is reached in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Venezuela to export $2 billion worth of oil to US in deal with Washington




By Marianna Parraga and Erin Banco
January 6, 2026
Summary
    • Deal to redirect Venezuelan oil exports to US from China
    • Trump says agreed volume to supply is 30-50 million barrels
    • Exports expected to stem further cuts to Venezuelan output
    • Chevron only US firm currently authorized to export Venezuelan oil
    • US Interior Secretary says US Gulf refiners would take advantage

HOUSTON/WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Caracas and Washington have reached a deal to export up to $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude to the United States, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, a flagship negotiation that would divert supplies from China while helping Venezuela avoid deeper oil production cuts.

Monday, January 5, 2026

Trump Has Started Carving Up the World. Now It’s Putin and Xi’s Turn.


 DONROE DOCTRINE 
Brynn Tannehill
January 4, 2026
Fiona Hill warned in 2019 of a “strange swap agreement” involving Venezuela and Ukraine. Seven years later, here we are.

The U.S. invasion of Venezuela late last Friday shocked the world for many reasons. It represents another fundamental departure from the post–World War II order supported by the United States for the last 50 years. It was also an unprovoked, naked act of aggression based on the flimsiest of pretexts. Congress was not consulted, and the executive branch has far exceeded the 60 days allowed by the 1973 War Powers Act to get congressional approval for ongoing military action.

Trump seizing Greenland could set off a chain reaction


After Venezuela, Europeans are taking the president’s threats seriously
January 5, 2026
By Shane Harris, Isaac Stanley-Becker, 
and Jonathan Lemire

Danish officials think they know how Donald Trump might seize Greenland. In a late-night Truth Social post, the president announces that the Danish territory is now an American “protectorate.” Because neither Denmark nor its European allies possess the military force to prevent the United States from taking the island, they are powerless to resist Trump’s dubious claim. And as the leading member of NATO claims the sovereign territory of another state, the alliance is paralyzed. Arguing that possession is nine-tenths of the law, Trump simply declares that Greenland now belongs to the United States. 

Latin America silent as Trump menaces Cuba, Colombia and Mexico





           

 POLITICO 
By Eric Bazail-Eimil, Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing, and Megan Messerly
 01/05/2026 
The silence marks a sharp departure from the widespread and passionate condemnation this weekend of the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

President Donald Trump is lobbing increasingly direct threats at multiple countries in Latin America following the U.S. operation in Venezuela this weekend. But rather than banding together, the reeling region is splintering over what sort of defense to mount — if any.

Sunday, January 4, 2026

NASA announces incredible discovery that may have settled the 'life on Mars' debate


logo
01-02-2026
By Eric Ralls
Earth.com staff writer
A recent analysis of the Sapphire Canyon mudstone core, drilled by NASA’s Perseverance rover in July 2024, adds new and convincing evidence to the ongoing search for life on Mars.

Astronomers Watch Black Hole Twist Spacetime As Einstein Predicted Over 100 Years Ago




By Cardiff University
January 3, 2026

Astronomers have finally caught a spinning black hole in the act of twisting the fabric of spacetime itself. The discovery came from watching a distant star get torn apart, forming a glowing disk and powerful jets that began to wobble together in a steady rhythm. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Trump wants Venezuela's oil. Will his plan work?

BBC News & Reuters 12 hours ago
Archie Mitchell, Business reporterand 
Natalie Sherman, Business reporter


Donald Trump has vowed to tap into Venezuela's oil reserves after seizing President Nicolás Maduro and saying the US will "run" the country until a 'safe' transition. The US president wants American oil firms to pile billions of dollars into the South American country, which has the largest crude oil reserves on the planet, to mobilise the largely untapped resource. He said US companies will fix Venezuela's "badly broken" oil infrastructure and "start making money for the country". But experts warned of huge challenges with Trump's plan, saying it would cost billions and take up to a decade to produce a meaningful uplift in oil output. So can the US really take control of Venezuela's oil reserves? And will Trump's plan work?

Trump Says Cuba is 'Ready To Fall', and Rubio agrees with him




By AFP - Agence France-Presse
AND NBC NEWS
Jan 04, 2026


President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One that Cuba was "ready to fall" after US forces seized the leader of its ally Venezuela, while playing down the need for any American military action there. Rubio's latest remarks came after he told NBC News and other reporters that he'd be "concerned" if he were a government official in Havana.

China’s “artificial sun” just broke a fusion limit scientists thought was unbreakable

Date:
January 4, 2026
Source:
Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Summary:
Researchers using China’s “artificial sun” fusion reactor have broken through a long-standing density barrier in fusion plasma. The experiment confirmed that plasma can remain stable even at extreme densities if its interaction with the reactor walls is carefully controlled. This finding removes a major obstacle that has slowed progress toward fusion ignition. The advance could help future fusion reactors produce more power.

Greek flights restart after radio loss grinds airport operations to halt


Air traffic was disrupted and there was no way to communicate with aircraft over the airspace, authorities said.

Passengers queue and wait with luggage at a departure hall of Athens' Eleftherios Venizelos international airport in Spata near Athens, on January 4, 2025.
Passengers queue and wait with luggage at a departure hall of the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in Spata near Athens, on January 4, 2025 [AFP]

Third of Londoners suffer 'hygiene poverty'


BBC
People are choosing between food and basic hygiene products, campaigners said
14 hours ago
Kumail Jaffer
 Local Democracy Reporting Service

Almost a third of Londoners aged 16 to 55 cannot afford basic hygiene products, leaving them unable to live normally, a charity has warned.

Archaeologists Discovered an Underground Inca Labyrinth, Confirming a Centuries-Old Rumor


Tim Newcomb
Sun, January 4, 2026 at 6:31 AM PST

Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
  • The existence of a tunnel network under the ancient Peruvian city of Cusco had been rumored for centuries.
  • At times stretching more than a mile, the labyrinth connected the Temple of the Sun to key points, such as a fortress.
  • Incan builders made use of what’s known as the cut-and-cover method of crafting tunnels.

After Trump's gangsta grab of Caracas, Greenland comes next because he absolutely needs it


The Greek Courier
By Yiannis Damellos

In Trump's hostile takeover of the World, Greenland is next on the agenda because he asserts that it is absolutely necessary for the United States. But the last few days, he focused on exerting control over Venezuela, attempting to dismantle the established Bolivarian regime led by acting President Delcy Rodríguez—all in an effort to gain access to the nation’s oil reserves. As this approach mainly serves to rally his base while he seeks to strengthen his position ahead of the midterm elections, he disregards the significant impact his actions have on international law and order.

Corporations Invested In Lawsuits Before Venezuela Invasion

Jan 3, 2026
Trump’s removal of President Nicolás Maduro could tilt international court proceedings and provide a windfall to corporate plaintiffs.

Just weeks before the American military operation in Venezuela to capture President Nicolás Maduro, the U.S. energy giant Halliburton filed an unusual lawsuit in international court claiming the Venezuelan government owed them damages for U.S. sanctions against the country.

Iranians rally in Tehran as violence intensifies in western regions


ASIA / PACIFIC
Issued on: 04/01/2026
Sporadic protests over economic and political grievances broke out inTehran on Saturday, local media reported, while clashes escalated in western Iran. The demonstrations, which first kicked off last Sunday and have since spread across the country, have left at least 12 dead, including security forces.

Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle, the Talk of Athens


The former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., and the former wife of Gov. Gavin Newsom, is working hard and pushing deals with American business interests. She’s also up late at parties.

By Elisabeth Bumiller
Reporting from Athens
Jan. 4, 2026

It was a splashy arrival. Kimberly Guilfoyle, the new United States ambassador to Greece, landed in Athens on the private jet of a multimillionaire Greek American businessman. She caused a sensation at a Thanksgiving week dinner in a partly sheer black evening dress. When she presented her diplomatic credentials to the Greek president, Constantine Tassoulas, she told him she had previously been to Greece on a “fabulous honeymoon, but …” and then trailed off.