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Threats made by President Trump are now official, as an order that slapped 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and a 10% duty on Chinese goods was signed. Retaliatory actions are already underway, with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau passing another 25% tariff that will cover $85 billion worth of US goods by the end of the month. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has demanded a similar approach, with duties anywhere from 5-20% on food, steel, and aluminum being a likely option. China will file a legal case with the International Trade Organization. A trade war is on the horizon. 

#intl-econ #intl-politics #north-america

Renewed protests have erupted in Serbia where tens of thousands have rallied in anti-government protests. The dissatisfaction came after the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse led to the death of 15 citizens, and has only continued due to general disenchantment by the population over the government. Mr. Vučić has come under scrutiny for authoritarian acts like hand-picking his own prime minister, Milos Vucevic, who has since resigned. Student protest leaders demand more action from Serbian police and judges to ensure the largely ceremonial role of the president stays under control. Snap elections for the prime minister are set to happen in April, but Chinese and Russian support for the president may erode democracy in the nation without intervention. 

#intl-politics #europe

This morning, President Trump coordinated with the Somali government to place military airstrikes on ISIS operatives in the Golis Mountains located in Somalia. The airstrikes successfully took down the "Senior ISIS Attack Planner" and other terrorists involved but did not harm any civilians. President Trump posted on social media that "These killers, who [the U.S.] found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and [U.S.] Allies." This attack weakened ISIS’s power and signals that the U.S. is willing to abolish any terrorist group that poses a threat, according to a statement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. 

#intl-politics #conflict #africa

Over the past two days, a fierce fight over the future of over $3 trillion in federal grants unfolded, after the Office of Management and Budget temporarily paused all payments of federal grants, programs, and loans pending a ‘comprehensive review’ for alignment of administration policies. This triggered instant outrage and confusion since the vague wording of the memo left the future of everything from Medicaid payments to funding for schools, hospitals, and shelters completely in limbo, with spending portals frozen. Trump officials argued the memo wasn’t intended to pause federal funding for individual benefits, like Medicare and food stamps. A federal judge later temporarily struck down the order. 

#us-politics #us-healthcare #us-econ #education

Costco workers may strike tomorrow (Saturday) if a deal is not struck to sign a three-year contract between Teamsters, the union that represents 18,000 Costco employees, and the wholesale company. It’s unclear whether this would close stores for the time being, since the union represents less than 10% of all Costco workers. Employees want Costco to improve compensation based on recent record profits. While Costco just decided to raise wages to $30/hr, it’s unclear whether this is enough to avoid a strike. 

#us-politics #us-econ

President Trump’s “war against DEI” is now in full swing. The Office of Personnel Management has directed agencies to have staff remove pronouns from government emails, disband employee resource groups, forbid the use of the word “gender” in contracts (warnings against gender discrimination are standard language in every such contract), and more. Government fact sheets on transgender people and contraception guidance are gone. The ban on words like “inclusion” and “equity” has also wiped out mentions in unrelated contexts, like an IRS procedural handbook. Yesterday, Trump also blamed diversity policies for the deadliest aviation accident in the US since 2001. 

#us-politics #us-health

Under the Gaza ceasefire, the United States is soon to send a hired group of nearly 100 U.S. special forces veterans to help run a checkpoint in Gaza. UG Solutions, the company contracting the group, will staff the checkpoint at a key intersection in Gaza's interior. The deployment of US contractors is unprecedented in this conflict and could risk drawing in the Trump Administration if the conflict reignites.

#intl-politics #middle-east #humanitarian

Alibaba released a version of its Qwen 2.5 AI that supposedly surpasses Deepseek-V3, which has been on the news for the past few days due to its superiority in cost-efficiency and accuracy to OpenAI. It was unusually released on the first day of the Lunar New Year when most Chinese employees were on holiday, reflecting how DeepSeek’s initial release is spurring a frenzy to develop more advanced models. As a result, Alibaba stocks rose by 3.5%, further challenging US tech giants and reshaping AI strategies by showing how competitive AI performance can be achieved with relatively small infrastructure.

#us-tech #intl-politics

After taking the vital trade hub town of Minova, cutting off one of the Congolese Government’s main aid routes, the M23 rebels are now advancing on the largest city in Eastern Congo. A regional hub, the M23 rebels have taken control of Goma airport, cut off phone lines, and shut down water and electricity supplies. As the situation grows dire, Rwanda’s support of the M23 rebels is becoming more obvious, forcing Kenya to call an emergency virtual crisis summit to try to ease tensions. Yet with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi expected to skip the meeting, the fighting in Eastern Congo will only intensify.

#conflict #humanitarian #africa #intl-politics

On January 20th, Deepseek released an open-source AI model, transforming from an obscure research lab in China to beating leading industry companies like OpenAI on capability and efficiency. Deepseek has rivaled chatbots like GPT o1, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and Gemini, all with only a fraction of specialized computer chips at an infinitesimally lower expense due to innovative techniques. NVIDIA plunged over 17% and lost hundreds of billions in market value due to the new AI development. DeepSeek's bot has become the most downloaded free app on the Apple App Store in the US.

#us-tech #us-econ

After Colombian President Gustavo Petro blocked 2 US military deportation flights, Trump boldly announced sweeping retaliatory measures against Colombia, including tariffs of up to 25%, coupled with sanctions on travel to the US by Colombian officials. Rejecting Trump’s deportation for treating migrants like criminals, nations like Colombia are damaging Trump’s executive orders.

#intl-politics #us-politics #us-FoPo

Winning power in Comoros in a coup in 1999, Comoros President Azali Assoumani won re-election back in January 2022. In a speech last Thursday, Assoumani spoke to his followers on the island of Moheli, stating, “I will place my son to replace me as head of the state and the party.” Although a later presidential statement walked back on the president’s word, his son, Nour El Fath, is currently in charge of coordinating government affairs, giving him sweeping power over the cabinet. With an expected 2029 presidential election, a constitutional change could make El Fath eligible to run for the presidency.

#africa #intl-politics 

President Trump released an executive order ending birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to noncitizen parents and undocumented immigrants, extending to foreign students, workers, and tourists legally and temporarily. However, this has garnered strong Democratic opposition—with a federal judge in Seattle issuing an interim order to block this order for 14 days (renewable upon its expiration), calling it "blatantly unconstitutional”. It violates the 14th Amendment guaranteeing birthright citizenship, but lawsuits and appeals will proceed. This is comparable to the early days of Trump’s first term, where a federal judge in Seattle blocked orders banning travel from certain countries.

#us-politics #republicans 

Syria’s new de-facto authority, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham(HTS), is using Islamic teachings to train a new fledgling police force. In a move that's meant to instill moral values into former Assad forces, the HTS aims to fill Syria’s security vacuum. Focusing on Islamic Sharia law in the brief training provided, the prospect of moving religion to the centre of politics risks seeding new rifts and alienating foreign governments. 

#humanitarian #conflicts #middle-east

One of the first executive orders signed by President Donald Trump was to begin the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in the US. Now, raids conducted by ICE have started. ICE agents are targeting what they consider to be “sensitive locations” and thanks to another order issued by Trump, they are allowed to enter schools, churches, courthouses, and healthcare facilities to arrest and deport suspected immigrants. As a result, employers are constructing action plans in the case they come face to face with ICE or one of their employees is concerned with a raid.

#us-politics #republicans 

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday titled “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship.” The order asserts that the Fourteenth Amendment has never been interpreted to grant citizenship automatically to everyone born in the United States. It specifies that U.S. citizenship doesn’t extend to individuals born in the country if their mother was unlawfully present and their father was neither a U.S. citizen nor a lawful permanent resident at the time of their birth. It also applies to cases where the mother’s presence in the U.S. was lawful but temporary, and the father lacked U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency. On Tuesday, Attorney General’s from 22 states filed lawsuits to block this effort to end birthright citizenship.

#us-politics #republicans 

One of Donald Trump’s executive orders on Inauguration Day was to declare a national emergency at the border. Since then, the Biden-era CBP One app, which became the only way for migrants to apply for asylum online, has been shut down. With 280,000 daily users, all appointments made with the app have been cancelled, leaving migrant families in limbo. Refugees previously approved to travel to the US before January 27th have had their plans cancelled and immigration officials are now allowed to arrest migrants in churches and schools. The DoJ announced they will prosecute officials blocking Trump’s immigration crackdown.

#us-politics #republicans 

Since Inauguration Day, President Trump’s executive orders have included the rescinding of sanctions on Israeli settlers accused of violence in the West Bank; ending birthright citizenship in the United States, which nearly 2 dozen states have already challenged in court; declaring a “national emergency” on the southern border and halting refugee admissions for 4 months; withdrew from the Paris Climate Accords; delayed a Tiktok ban; pardoned 1500 Jan. 6 rioters; expanded fossil fuel production; withdrew from the WHO; implemented a 90 day pause in US foreign aid programs, and more. Here’s a closer look at the most controversial ones. 

#us-politics #republicans 

As the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire is underway, Israel has launched an “extensive” new military campaign into the West Bank. Aimed at “eradicating terrorism”, the military push into the city of Jenin has killed 10 and injured 40, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Reflecting concerns that Hamas can turn to the West Bank to fortify their fighters, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said that the West Bank is part of the “war goals” Israel has in mind. Since the Gaza ceasefire went into place, violence in the West Bank has increased dramatically. 

#intl-politics #conflict #middle-east #humanitarian

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that European leaders should not wait for what Trump plans to do next. To achieve peace, Zelensky said ending the war would require “at least 200,000” allied troops to enforce any peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Zelensky has emphasized the necessity of Western security guarantees to keep peace by describing the details of an international peacekeeping operation. These recent statements come alongside various unilateral meetings with leaders from France, the UK, Poland, and others.

#intl-politics #conflict #europe

Vivek Ramaswamy, billionaire biotech entrepreneur, has reportedly worn out his welcome at the not-yet-existent Department of Government Efficiency (better known as DOGE). Ramaswamy was allegedly encouraged to exit the agency after his continued lack of involvement in the cost-cutting committee, making Elon Musk grow frustrated. Reports say Ramaswamy is now expected to launch a bid for governor of Ohio to replace current term-limited Republican governor Mike DeWine. This newest development hints at fractures that could continue to widen in a second Trump administration. 

#us-politics #republicans

Trump is signing a plethora of executive orders as part of his reactionary agenda. He will sign as many as one hundred executive orders within hours of being sworn in on Monday, declaring a national emergency on the US-Mexico border while ordering construction on the border wall. He will also attempt to end birthright citizenship despite it being required under the Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment. The orders will include more than fifty items, also involving renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” halting diversity programs and only recognizing two sexes officially. 

#us-politics #intl-politics #latin-america

Millions of users hoping for one last day were denied when ByteDance’s TikTok,  Lemon8, and CapCut shut down their services today. This comes after the Supreme Court upheld the ban. Donald Trump will likely grant the app a 90-day extension, which is only legal if there are signs of TikTok actually being sold. Once he takes office, his Justice Department led by Attorney General Pam Bondi will enforce the law, who has been unclear about her stance. With the app’s algorithm or the system that decides what is on a person’s feed, TikTok is estimated to be worth $100-$200 billion. 

However, since January 19th, Tiktok users have now been able to access the app again, after comments made by Donald Trump insinuated at keeping the app alive. This comes as a surprise to many, but a welcome acceptance of the beloved company.

#us-politics #us-tech

Biden pardoned nearly 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders, asserting they served long sentences compared to those received under modern law, though he didn’t provide any criteria or timelines for assessing these pardons. He also provided clemency relief to those sentenced based on discrediting and outdated sentencing enhancements, a final move against systemic inequities that disproportionately affected marginalized communities. This contrasts his 1980s stance on supporting bills increasing penalties for drug users that were racially skewed. Biden has now set a new precedent in history, being the president with the most pardons and sentence communications in a single term. 

#us-politics

After being ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022 and subsequently detained in August of 2023, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in prison over a landmark land graft corruption case. The case marks the latest reckoning for the former Prime Minister, outlining over 100 charges from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts. The largest seen in the country, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is arguing against the ruling, claiming that they any charges were not for personal nor political gain. 

#asia #intl-politics

The New Glenn rocket developed by Blue Origin, Bezos' space company, was developed to send technology and humans into orbit, directly challenging SpaceX's widely-used reusable Falcon 9 rocket and Starlink network. The rocket achieved orbit on its first attempt and successfully collected data. Blue Origin has been launching paying passengers into space since 2021 and has poured more than a billion dollars into New Glenn's launch, envisioning six to eight flights this year. The rocket's mission was delayed by several years, and Blue Origin had finally embarked on this critical mission to dominate the commercial space industry. 

#us-tech

The Supreme Court unanimously rejected an appeal from TikTok's owners to rule the TikTok ban as a violation of the First Amendment, allowing the ban to start on Saturday. The Court acknowledged that TikTok is a source of community, but that national security concerns were more important than alleged freedom of speech violations. The Biden Administration signaled it wouldn't enforce the law and Trump has called to keep the ban on hold until his inauguration, mindful of TikTok's popularity and his own millions of followers. As a staunch supporter of TikTok, Trump’s presidency may complicate the ban’s enforcement.

#us-politics 

Israel delayed their cabinet vote on the ceasefire/hostage deal after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of reneging the agreement. Hamas officials denied this and restated their commitment to the agreement, while Netanyahu’s office stated that the cabinet will not convene until Hamas complies. Despite this, since the agreement, over 81 people have been killed by Israeli forces with over 230 injured. This marks the highest daily death toll in over a week. Israel’s cabinet is now set to meet tomorrow, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stating that he “remains confident the ceasefire will begin Sunday.”

#middle-east #humanitarian #intl-politics #conflict

The FDA just banned Red No. 3, a synthetic dye present in over 9200 food items, due to its link to cancer in animals. This is an advancement for advocacy groups and lawmakers who cited ample evidence that its use can cause cancer and also affect children's behavior. Still, the FDA isn't banning other dyes like Red No. 40 which cause behavioral issues. The ban is attributable to the Delaney Clause, which prohibits additives found to cause cancer in humans. Red dye No. 3 must be removed from food by 2027 and drugs in 2028.

#us-health

Israel and Hamas have allegedly agreed to a 42-day ceasefire, as well as a hostage release of 33, beginning on Sunday, January 19. However, many details surrounding this agreement remain blurred. Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as his cabinet, have yet to approve the deal. Netanyahu has stated that he will not comment until it is finalized. Still, the talks are said to move on to a second phase which will, according to U.S. President Joe Biden, lead to a “permanent end of the war”. Biden is also quoted as crediting “American diplomacy” for reaching the deal.  

#middle-east #humanitarian #intl-politics #conflict

President Biden says the federal government will cover firefighting costs in the Los Angeles region for six months following the wildfires. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announces that fire victims can claim a one-time payment of $770. This comes after state and local fire responses have been questioned by commentators such as President-elect Donald Trump. Notably, Speaker Mike Johnson has stated that there should be conditions on aid, blaming California leadership for environmental mismanagement. 

#environment #humanitarian

Today, Yoon Suk Yeol became the first president of South Korea detained by police, due to his martial law decree in December. Investigators then questioned him for hours about an alleged criminal insurrection probe. After he evaded arrest for nearly 2 weeks, law-enforcement forces were mobilized to force his surrender, revealing underlying, systemic issues of his clash with the political majority over policies. Although a majority of South Koreans support his impeachment, Yoon's lawyers argued that his arrest was illegal due to the anti-corruption agency (CIO) being responsible, even when they had no power to investigate insurrection allegations. 

#asia #intl-politics

A South African gold mine, long monitored by police for potential smuggling, has just collapsed. 78 were found dead and rescuers are continuing to search for more survivors. For months prior, a group of about 100 miners had been stuck in the mine and was surrounded by police forces, suspecting them of illicit trade. Police have cut off food, water, and emergency aid supplies in hopes the miners would willingly come out. However, the instability of these mines has led to many similar collapses in the past year.

#africa #humanitarian

With a looming Tiktok Ban set for Jan. 19 in the United States, TikTok’s 170 million American users are seeking alternatives. The app “Rednote”, or Xiaohongshu, is becoming the most popular alternative, seeing an influx of more than 700,000 new users and reaching the top of the app store. Another Chinese-owned app, RedNote encourages Chinese-American cross-cultural relations, raising new national security concerns on both sides. Chinese users and nationalists have encountered discomfort due to American users and the U.S. Government is once again eyeing the new Chinese app for the national security risks it may pose.

#us-FoPo #asia #domestic #us-tech

The Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, expected to be announced imminently on Tuesday, has had its declaration delayed due to disagreements over the wording of the deal. Negotiators in Doha have been trying to hasten the agreement, with mediators saying a deal is closer than ever. However, the Hamas group has yet to deliver its response to the ceasefire plan, raising concerns that the finer details of the agreement, such as how hostage return will be conducted, might further delay its final announcement.

#intl-politics #middle-east #conflict

Four years after Donald Trump placed Cuba back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, it was announced Tuesday that President Joe Biden plans to remove that designation from Cuba, easing long-standing economic sanctions. In return, Cuba is expected to free an unknown number of political prisoners before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, in a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church. Nearly six decades of U.S. sanctions, which the UN argues violate international law, have devastated the Cuban economy, creating a widespread humanitarian crisis that has driven Cuban immigration to the United States. 

#us-politics #democrats #latin-america

The Republican-controlled House voted 218-206 Tuesday to ban transgender girls and women from girls’ sports at school. If passed by the Senate and the President, the legislation would change Title IX, the law that prevents gender discrimination in educational institutions, and revoke federal funding for schools that allow trans girls in women’s sports. The bill explicitly excludes transgender people from protection under Title IX, a major setback for LGBTQ+ advocates and a test for House Democrats on whether they will fight a predicted wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation when Trump takes office. Its future in the Senate is still in question. 

#us-politics #republicans #democrats #us-health

On Saturday, Jan 11, 2025, the Sudanese Armed Forces recaptured the capital city of Gezira State in central Sudan—Wad Madani—from the RSF. This was a valuable advance against the RSF, a paramilitary group primarily composed of Janjaweed militias that committed crimes against humanity in Darfur. As Wad Madani is a heartland of agriculture and trade, and links several states via supply highways, this success strategically cuts the RSF off from various parts of Sudan. However, even though the civil war has displaced more than 12 million since April 2023, RSF leader Hemedti refuses to give up despite acknowledging this defeat.

#africa #intl-politics #humanitarian 

Discussion between Austria’s main centrist parties, the Social Democrats (SPO) and Austrian People's Party (OVP) have struggled to form a coalition government in the face of the rising far-right Freedom Party's (FPO) influence. In the September parliamentary election, the FPO won a definite majority at 29%, making them necessary for forming a coalition government. As talks stalled due to difficult negotiations between the OVP and SPO alongside the liberal party NEOS pulling out of talks, the recently chosen Chancellor Karl Nehammer of the OVP has now stepped down, prompting his party to nominate Christian Stocker as interim leader. 

#europe #intl-politics 

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