Latest news for 7 January 2026

UNITED STATES

Gimme Greenland.

The White House says President Trump is exploring a range of options to acquire Denmark’s semi-autonomous territory of Greenland, adding that “utilizing the US military is always an option at the Commander-in-Chief's disposal”. (BBC)

Comment: It’s hard to find the words to convey just how wild it is for a US president to threaten territorial seizure from a fellow NATO ally, and one where the US already enjoys a massive and unfettered military footprint. Just this century, the Danes have lost seven soldiers fighting with the US in Iraq, and another 43 in Afghanistan.

SAUDI ARABIA

He just disappeared!

Saudi Arabia is claiming the leader of a UAE-backed STC separatist force controlling the south of Yemen “fled to an unknown location” after failing to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for peace talks. The STC had just assumed control of a vast swathe of Yemen, putting rival Saudi-backed forces on the back foot. (Guardian)

Comment: We wrote about the Emirati-Saudi power struggle in Yemen, and the possibility it might split the country back in two, here.

CHINA

Chips again.

Speaking at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang has suggested that China’s approval for its end-users to import Nvidia’s H200 AI chips will be signalled quietly through purchase orders rather than any formal announcement out of Beijing. (Reuters)

Comment: The world is still catching its breath post-Venezuela, but just weeks ago Trump’s H200 green-light was the biggest story in town — we explored it here.

FRANCE

We got you.

France and the United Kingdom have signed a declaration of intent to deploy troops in Ukraine after a ceasefire, as part of Western security guarantees aimed at deterring any future Russian invasion. (BBC)

Comment: Call us cynical, but the ‘after a ceasefire’ bit further erodes any hope Putin will acquiesce to a ceasefire until he’s forced. On that front, word from the Paris summit is US negotiators now seemed more hardened to Putin’s games.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Doom scroll.

Locals are voicing anger after regulators ordered Starlink to shut down over licencing issues, cutting off internet for remote businesses and communities. No word on when (or if) the permit might come through. (Guardian)

GUYANA

Share of the pie.

Guyana has suspended the mining licences of 100+ Brazilian nationals and threatened deportations in a crackdown ordered by President Ali, accusing them of smuggling undeclared gold out of the country. Gold is the country’s second-largest export after oil. (AP)

ISRAEL

Watch out.

With stalled Syria-Israel talks finally resuming in Paris this week, Israel has claimed Iran is plotting to assassinate Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Euronews)

Comment: Maybe the heads-up is a trust-building gesture among fraught neighbours. Or maybe it’s an attempt to pile more pressure on Iran’s wobbly regime. Meanwhile, the same possible insider who won $154K on Polymarket predicting the exact date of an Israeli hit is now betting on another big hit on Iran before January 31.