Latest news for 5 January 2026

IRAN

Deadly protests.

Continued widespread anti-government protests have now left at least 16 dead, while one report suggests Supreme Leader Khamenei has a plan to flee to Moscow if things go (further) south. (The Times)

Comment: Again, this is either history in the making, or the prelude to another brutal crackdown.

DENMARK

Quit playing.

Prime Minister Frederiksen has told the US to “stop the threats” over Greenland, after the wife of a Trump advisor tweeted that Denmark’s strategic Arctic territory would soon be America’s. (BBC)

Comment: What did we say above about allies being spooked by the Maduro operation? Denmark is visibly now taking Trump’s rhetoric more seriously.

KAZAKHSTAN

Market share.

The US and Kazakhstan have struck a nuclear cooperation deal that’ll see DC supply Almaty with a small modular reactor (SMR) simulator, as a potential precursor to US involvement in building actual SMR units across Central Asia. (Eurasianet)

Comment: US rivals China and Russia both already have agreements to build large-scale reactors in Kazakhstan — this US move is about further hustling in a region seen as more up for grabs while Russian power burns itself out in Ukraine.

GERMANY

Brrr.

Nearly 50,000 Berliners were left without power over the weekend after a hard-left extremist group known as Vulkan purportedly claimed responsibility for an arson attack, citing anger over climate change and AI. Investigations continue. (EuroNews)

Comment: Watch for whether authorities unearth any foreign backing for this group.

MYANMAR

Free at last.

Days after claiming early victories in ongoing sham elections, Myanmar’s military junta has used the country’s Independence Day (Jan 4th) to announce clemency for 6,000 prisoners, including 52 foreigners. (DW)

Comment: These announcements are an annual affair, but the generals are probably hoping to pull a Belarus — ie, trading public gestures for sanctions relief.

URUGUAY

Water emergency.

The government has activated emergency protocols after expected rainfall failed to materialise. Uruguay’s basins still haven’t recovered from a historic 2020-23 drought. (Noticias Ambientales)

BOTSWANA

Quid pro quo.

Botswana’s foreign minister has told Russian state media he’s planning to open an embassy in Moscow and is hoping to attract Russian investors to his country’s beleaguered diamonds sector. (Business Insider Africa)

Comment: Russia is the world’s other major source for diamonds, a gem in decline partly because synthetic versions have now gutted the market. Botswana might also be flirting with Russia to build leverage in hopes of the US easing its tariffs.