Fdd's overnight brief

January 27, 2025

FDD Research & Analysis

In The News

Israel

Hamas on Saturday released four more Israeli hostages under the Gaza cease-fire deal, raising hopes for other captives as the fragile agreement approaches its second week. – Wall Street Journal

The release of the women of Nahal Oz moves a painful chapter of the Israeli military’s Oct. 7 failure to prevent the attack closer to an end. Their families have grasped for signs of life from other hostages who were released, Israeli intelligence findings, and Hamas propaganda videos.  – Wall Street Journal

President Trump’s Saturday night proposal that Palestinians vacate a devastated Gaza marked a sharp break with his predecessor and introduced a contentious new initiative into his unfolding Middle East diplomatic plans. – Wall Street Journal

A day that began with masses of Palestinians blocked from returning to their homes in northern Gaza — the latest snag to threaten the shaky peace between Israel and Hamas — ended with the militant group saying it had turned over a list of Israeli hostages to be released, including information on whether they were alive or dead. – Washington Post

After the ceasefire in Gaza came into effect this week, a modicum of normalcy returned to life inside the devastated enclave. So did Hamas. For the first time in a year, the militant group’s armed wing openly paraded through the streets and held public funerals for slain fighters. – Washington Post

Armed U.S. security contractors will take up positions this weekend at a checkpoint inside Gaza, tasked with inspecting vehicles headed north from southern refugee centers where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled from relentless Israeli bombardment during the past year. – Washington Post

A sudden and sweeping halt to U.S. foreign aid by the Trump administration does not apply to weapons support to Israel and Egypt and emergency food assistance, according to a memo issued by the department to bureaus and U.S. missions overseas on Friday. – New York Times

Israel told the United Nations on Friday that its relief agency known as UNRWA, a critical lifeline to two million Palestinians during the 15 months of war in Gaza, had six days to stop all operations in East Jerusalem. – New York Times

Israel is set to occupy parts of southern Lebanon after a deadline for its full military withdrawal lapses on Sunday, the Israeli government implied in a statement on Friday, amid Israeli concerns that Hezbollah remains active there and doubts about the Lebanese Army’s ability to stymie the militia’s resurgence. – New York Times

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday that French President Emmanuel Macron had given him assurances that Israeli companies would be able to take part in the Paris Air Show. – Reuters

Republican President Donald Trump said on Saturday he has instructed the U.S. military to release a hold imposed by Democratic former President Joe Biden on the supply of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. – Reuters

The U.S. government said on Saturday it was “critical” that implementation of the Gaza ceasefire continues, after four Israeli soldiers were freed by Palestinian Hamas militants in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners. – Reuters

Thousands of Palestinians chanted praise of Hamas on Saturday as they welcomed prisoners freed under a ceasefire deal between the militant group and Israel that saw four Israeli hostages also return home. – Reuters

The Palestinian militant group Hamas has recruited between 10,000 and 15,000 members since the start of its war with Israel, according to two congressional sources briefed on U.S. intelligence, suggesting the Iran-backed fighters could remain a persistent threat to Israel. – Reuters

An Israeli drone strike on a vehicle near the West Bank town of Qabatiya killed two people, the Palestinian health ministry said on Friday, the fourth day of a large-scale Israeli operation in the nearby city of Jenin launched after the truce in Gaza. – Reuters

More than 4,200 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip in the six days since a ceasefire began between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas, the United Nations said, although there was a large drop in the number of loads delivered on Friday. – Reuters

Israel has ordered the suspension of Israeli commercial flights to Paphos in Cyprus, Cypriot officials confirmed on Monday, for unspecified security reasons. – Reuters

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday named Ilan Rom, a longtime intelligence official, as the Finance Ministry’s director general. – Reuters

The European Union’s top diplomat will ask the bloc’s foreign ministers Monday to agree on reactivating the EU’s border assistance mission at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt by Feb. 1, according to people familiar with the matter. – Bloomberg

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke by phone on Sunday. – Arutz Sheva

The Judicial Selection Committee on Sunday elected Justice Yitzhak Amit as President of the Israeli Supreme Court as was expected. – Arutz Sheva

Assaf Orion writes: Coming at the start of Trump’s presidency, the Gaza ceasefire could serve as the first success of his “peace through strength” doctrine and appeal to his aspirations as a peacemaker. In particular, the decline in fighting may enable Washington and Jerusalem to focus on larger strategic issues such as countering Iran’s nuclear program and expanding the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia. Progress on these issues could bring a dramatic shift in the strategic landscape—though they require changes in Israel’s Palestinian policy, which seem improbable under the current government. – Washington Institute

Iran

Iraq will not be negatively affected by the weakening of Iran’s influence in the Middle East, Iraq’s deputy parliament speaker said, with Baghdad looking to chart its own diplomatic path in the region and limit the power of armed groups. – Reuters

Iran said it had arrested 13 adherents of the banned Baha’i faith accusing them of proselytising to children and adolescents, local media reported, drawing condemnation from an international organisation representing Baha’is. – Reuters

Top Taliban officials met Iran’s foreign minister on Sunday to discuss tensions along their shared border, the treatment of Afghan refugees in Iran and water rights. It was the first visit by an Iranian foreign minister to the Afghan capital since 2017. – Associated Press

Iran continues to boast of its military achievements, with an Iranian military leader announcing on Sunday that the country has equipped its drones with domestically-produced missiles incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Xinhua reported, citing state news agency IRNA. – Arutz Sheva

Ariel Cohen writes: Iran may find support not only in its agreement with Russia but also from perceived Israeli concessions to Hamas in the recent ceasefire deal. Nevertheless, Tehran must be compelled to abandon its destabilizing nuclear program, decommission its ballistic missiles arsenal, halt proxy support throughout the Middle East, recognize Israel’s right to exist and renounce its decades-long “Death to America” agenda. Iran, under its anti-Western theocratic dictatorship, has been a thorn in the side of the U.S. for decades, guilty of taking, torturing and murdering American hostages and attacking American allies. Failure to bring Teheran to heel now will only allow it to continue with a China- and Russia-coordinated program of destabilization, terrorism support and undermining the U.S. in the Middle East, Europe and worldwide. – The Hill

David Albright and Sara Burkhard write: That time is more than sufficient for a devastating military response by Israel, hopefully supported by the United States and other allies. And a strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, material, and equipment may only be a prelude to a far harsher strike against its economy, particularly its oil production, if Iran does not relent. Recent Israeli retaliatory actions have proved that Iran’s airspace, and all its infrastructure, is vulnerable to airstrikes and can be easily penetrated with advanced weapons, and Israel is uncannily aware of activities Iran is undertaking related to nuclear weapons development. So, the Iranian regime should think carefully about deciding to build nuclear weapons, because with its existing pathways to the bomb, detection is very likely to occur in sufficient time to do irreparable damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and its economy in short order. – Institute for Science and International Security

Farzin Zandi writes: As a result of these challenges, Iran has been unable to sustain internal support or align diverse factions under a shared strategic vision. This lack of unity has eroded consistency and long-term resilience, leaving the country vulnerable to intensifying domestic and external pressures. It is time for the Islamic Republic to make a decision: remain on the path of resistance or turn to the path of development. The first route briefly opened a direct pathway from Tehran to Beirut—a connection that has since been lost. Perhaps following the second route will elevate Tehran to a position of prominence, like a shining city on a hill. – War on the Rocks

Russia & Ukraine

Ukrainian prosecutors say a graphic video circulating online shows Russian troops executing six prisoners of war, the latest in what they say is a spate of killings by Moscow’s forces. – Wall Street Journal

When a 28-year-old volunteer named Nikolai stepped onto a sandy beach on Russia’s Black Sea coast in a hazmat suit just before New Year’s Eve, he was so overwhelmed by the amount of thick oil film that he almost broke down. – New York Times

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday replaced for the third time in under a year the commander of a key Ukrainian military formation responsible for defending the eastern hub of Pokrovsk that’s under increased risk of falling to Russian forces. – Reuters

Ukrainian air defences downed 57 out of 104 drones launched by Russia overnight, the air force said on Monday, with officials saying infrastructure was hit in several regions. – Reuters

Ukrainian air defences downed 50 of 72 drones launched by Russia overnight and attacked one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, Ukraine’s military said on Sunday. – Reuters

 U.S. President Donald Trump could fulfil his promise to end the war in Ukraine, but only if he includes Kyiv in any talks, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday. – Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he and Donald Trump should meet to talk about the Ukraine war and energy prices, issues that the U.S. president has highlighted in the first five days of his new administration. – Reuters

Ukraine said on Friday it had struck a Russian oil refinery and a microchip factory in a huge drone attack that caused fires at the refinery’s production facilities and an oil pumping station. – Reuters

Ukraine has kept much of its wartime drone programme secret, seeing it as an invaluable way to chip away at Russia’s vast military industrial base despite it lacking the huge arsenal of long-range missiles that Russia has. – Reuters

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in remarks published on Friday that he saw no objective signs that Ukraine or the West were ready for peace talks despite all their increasingly loud statements about the need for such talks. – Reuters

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said on Friday that about 450,000 people had signed contracts to serve in the Russian army in 2024 and that the aim was to attract a similar number of people in 2025. – Reuters

The Russian Embassy in London said that Russia posed no threat to undersea cables in Britain and other NATO countries, after UK defence minister John Healey accused Moscow of “malign activity” at sea. – Reuters

President Donald Trump is emphasizing that targeting Russia’s oil revenue is the best way to get Moscow to end its nearly three-year war against Ukraine. Trump, who pledged in the campaign that he’d broker a quick end to the grinding conflict, in his first days in office has leaned in on the idea that OPEC+, the alliance of oil producing nations, holds the key to ending the war by reducing oil prices. – Associated Press

Russia on Sunday claimed its troops had captured a strategically important town in eastern Ukraine as part of a grinding campaign to weaken Kyiv’s grip on the country’s industrial heartland, while uncertainty over the continued flow of U.S. funding has reportedly halted the work of some Ukrainian NGOs, including those helping war veterans. – Associated Press

Ukraine successfully pulled off an all-drone, multi-domain attack on Russian positions near Kharkiv in December, an official speaking at the International Armoured Vehicle (IAV) conference disclosed this week, in what they are calling the first-ever such operation. – Breaking Defense

Steven Pifer writes: These steps would signal to Putin that he needs to get serious and negotiate in good faith for a reasonable agreement or face even higher military, economic and political costs. These steps also would make clear that, as mediator, Trump intends to be hard-nosed — not the pushover that some in Moscow appear to expect. Such actions would position Trump best for a negotiation that would have to overcome sharp substantive differences but that, if successful, would greatly enhance his standing and influence on the global stage. – The Hill

Mykyta Vorobiov writes: To rebuild the country and its economy, Ukraine will need people. Shukyurov suggests the development of repatriation programs to encourage returners and says Ukraine should be ready to accept migrants from other countries to bolster the population because without workers it will be extremely hard to rebuild a shattered country. Action will be needed to encourage and welcome that, as well as financial inducements for citizens to return, and long-term programs to increase birth rates and cut death rates. And Kyiv will need to persevere, even if the programs don’t deliver an immediate effect. – Center for European Policy Analysis

Michael Peck writes: But there is a difference between an army that is tired and one that is ineffective. Through whatever combination of skill, ingenuity, and endurance — as well as Russian mistakes — Ukrainian troops have consistently been able to limit Russia to small gains at staggering cost. Ukraine’s Kursk counteroffensive may not have achieved decisive results on the ground, but it signaled that Ukraine was capable of launching a surprise attack that seized 400 square miles of Russian territory. Ukraine still holds half of that ground, even after Russian counterattacks that have included thousands of North Korean soldiers.  – Center for European Policy Analysis

Afghanistan

Canadian veteran David Lavery has been freed following his arrest in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Nov. 11 after mediation by Qatar, an official with knowledge of the release said on Sunday. – Reuters

The U.S. may place a “very big bounty” on the top leaders of the Taliban, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday, adding he was hearing that the Taliban held more American hostages than previously reported. – Reuters

President Donald Trump’s foreign aid pause has forced a suspension of flights for more than 40,000 Afghans approved for special U.S. visas and at risk of Taliban retribution, a leading advocate and a U.S. official said on Saturday. – Reuters

Afghanistan’s Taliban foreign ministry said on Friday it “strongly condemns” and rejects the International Criminal Court’s request for arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders. – Reuters

Syria

European countries look set to agree to ease sanctions on Syria as a way to support the country’s political transition, influence its new Islamist leaders and diminish Russia’s sway in the region, according to five European diplomats and two internal documents reviewed by The Washington Post. – Washington Post

The United States has shared secret intelligence on threats from the Islamic State with the new government in Syria, which is itself run by leaders of a militant group long considered by Washington to be a terrorist organization, according to multiple current and former U.S. officials familiar with the exchanges. – Washington Post

Almost 30% of the millions of Syrian refugees living in Middle Eastern countries want to return home in the next year, following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, up from almost none last year, the head of the U.N.’s refugee agency said. – Reuters

Kurdish-led authorities who run a sprawling camp for Islamic State-linked prisoners in northeast Syria are preparing the first-ever return of detainees to Syrian areas, the camp director said, a move enabled by the fall of the Assad regime. – Reuters

Some European Union sanctions against Syria are being lifted, France’s foreign minister said on Monday, as part of a broader EU move to help stabilise Damascus after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad in December. – Reuters

Syria’s new ruling administration has cancelled a contract with a Russian firm to manage and operate the country’s Tartous port that was signed under former President Bashar al-Assad, according to three Syrian businessmen and media reports. – Reuters

Fighters affiliated with Syria’s new Islamist leaders have carried out 35 summary executions over 72 hours, mostly of Assad-era officers, a war monitor said Sunday. – Agence France Presse

Syrian authorities seized a shipment of weapons heading to the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, the official SANA news agency reported on Sunday. – Times of Israel

Elie Abadie writes: Will Syria ever become home again for the Jews? And what of other ethnic minorities? The trauma, persecution and discrimination that the Jewish community suffered there continues to play in our mind and psyche. I asked my mother and other elderly people if they will go back. A few said they will go to visit; most said they will never set foot in Syria again. All, however, pray that the people of the region—especially vulnerable minority populations—will find tranquility, stability and peace. – Wall Street Journal

Alia Malek writes: In Gaziantep, Yusef told me that he did not regret wielding a weapon, even though he had come to see it as a time when he “had no soul,” and even though he lost limbs. “I got here because of it,” he said, referring to finding a purpose in helping others. “That’s enough to not have regrets.” It is easy to look at a dark past and warn of a dark future, but we should not mistake that for seeing the future. What did we learn from Syria? That we misread it, and condemn it to misery, when we do not listen to the people at the heart of it. – New York Times

Fawaz A. Gerges writes: The Syrian National Council (SNC)—a broad opposition coalition that emerged during the Arab Spring—has called for the UN to oversee and guide, not manage, the country as it drafts a new constitution; the UN should take up this appeal. There is no reason why Syria cannot hold free and fair elections within 18 months, especially with the help of UN election monitoring. But for any of these endeavors to work, world leaders must engage with a wider range of local, civil society, activist, and nationalist leaders, not just HTS. If Syrian opposition groups and civil society leaders can mobilize and engage in collective action, they will have more success acting as a check on HTS’s authoritarian impulses. – Foreign Affairs

Samer al-Ahmed writes: The negotiations between Damascus and the SDF are at a critical juncture, facing challenges related to the divergent demands of both parties, regional and international pressures, and the looming threat of military escalation. The future of eastern Syria hinges on the formation of international agreements capable of achieving lasting stability within the context of complex security challenges, fears of ISIS resurgence, and potential military escalations. While the US strives to maintain its presence and ensure regional stability, the success of these efforts depends on the ability of key players to find common ground and implement viable solutions. – Middle East Institute

Iraq

A fire at Iraq’s Rumaila oilfield was brought under control on Friday, the country’s oil ministry said in a statement, adding that there were no serious injuries. – Reuters

Two Iraqi border guards were killed on Friday during a clash with fighters from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Iraq’s interior ministry said. – Reuters

Hamdi Malik writes: Three days prior to Kaabi’s speech, Ali al-Asadi, head of HaN’s political bureau, appeared on Alsumaria TV, delivering similar remarks about Trump, albeit in less aggressive language. He stated “We are not afraid of Trump. The whole world may be scared, but not the muqawama. He is welcome [to test us]; the battlefield is between us…”. Asadi then downplayed Trump’s ability to contain the militias, saying “Trump is a man of economy, and he is confused by the internal economic situation in America”. He went on to say “Today’s Trump is not the same Trump from four years ago or so… It is impossible for Trump to impose sanctions on Iraq” – Washington Institute

Turkey

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit Iraq on Sunday for talks with officials on the fight against Kurdish militants, security issues and bilateral ties, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Saturday. – Reuters

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday after talks in Baghdad that a joint battle using “all our resources” must be carried out to eliminate both Islamic State and Kurdish militants in the region. – Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to capitalize on the demise of the Assad regime in neighboring Syria and the ceasefire in Gaza. Should the dominos fall the right way, there could be hundreds of billions of dollars of rebuilding contracts and new trade as well as geopolitical influence. – Bloomberg

Turkey is launching a diplomatic effort to restart energy negotiations with the European Union, eyeing the prospect of becoming a major supplier of natural gas, after previous discussions were derailed by tensions with Cyprus. – Politico 

 

Lebanon

The deadline Sunday for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon was marked by violence as hundreds of people, eager to return home after months of displacement, ignored warnings from the military and marched back into still-occupied villages along the border. – Washington Post

The U.S. said on Sunday that the agreement between Lebanon and Israel would remain in effect until Feb. 18, after Israel said on Friday it would keep troops in the south beyond the Sunday deadline set out in a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted last year’s war with Hezbollah. – Reuters

The Israeli army ordered thousands of displaced Lebanese not to return to villages near the border until further notice, a day after it said its forces would remain in south Lebanon beyond a Sunday deadline to withdraw. – Reuters

Suhil Bahij Gharb, a senior intelligence officer in the Lebanese army’s unit for southern Lebanon, allegedly passed the Hezbollah terror group sensitive information from the war room shared with the US and France, the British Times reported Sunday. – Arutz Sheva

Yemen

Big shipping companies say they won’t send vessels back to the Red Sea despite a pledge by Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen not to attack them as long as a cease-fire in Gaza holds. – Wall Street Journal

Yemen’s Houthis released 153 prisoners on Saturday with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the ICRC said in a statement. – Reuters

The United Nations said on Friday that the Houthis who control northern Yemen had detained seven U.N. personnel, and it was suspending all UN staff movement in Houthi-held areas while seeking the detainees’ immediate release. – Reuters

Middle East & North Africa

President Trump said he wants to “clean out” the Gaza Strip and urged Jordan and Egypt to take in refugees either temporarily or for the long term, a move that has been rejected by Arab countries since the war began. – Wall Street Journal

Italy has signed cooperation and industrial agreements worth around $10 billion with Saudi Arabia as part of a strengthened strategic partnership between the two countries, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday. – Reuters

Italy is in favour of Saudi Arabia joining the GCAP fighter jet programme, which currently involves Italy, Britain and Japan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Monday. – Reuters

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Friday from Damascus that his country was engaged in an active dialogue with Europe and the U.S. to help lift economic sanctions imposed on Syria. – Reuters

Two U.S. lawmakers will keep trying to block arms sales to the United Arab Emirates, having determined that the UAE is providing weapons to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s civil war, they said on Friday. – Reuters

Saudi Economy Minister Faisal Alibrahim said on Friday that the kingdom’s $600 billion expanded package with the United States includes investments as well as procurement from the public and private sectors. – Reuters

Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas on Sunday condemned “any projects” to relocate the people of Gaza outside the Palestinian enclave after US President Donald Trump suggested moving them to Egypt and Jordan, adding to a chorus of rejection of the proposal from around the Arab world. – Agence France Presse

Korean Peninsula

Kim Jong Un enjoys absolute power across North Korea and is regarded as godlike by his own people. But one threat appears to loom large for the 41-year-old dictator: disloyalty from his country’s youth. – Wall Street Journal

Prosecutors indicted South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, on Sunday on charges of leading an insurrection when he briefly imposed martial law last month. – Washington Post

North Korea conducted a strategic cruise missile test on Saturday, state media KCNA reported on Sunday. – Reuters

John Delury writes: Restoring the health of South Korean democracy will require giving this civil society more authority. As the political scientist Erik Mobrand argued in his prescient book Top-Down Democracy in South Korea, the country’s young democracy is overdue for a bottom-up reform of institutions to increase citizen participation […]None of these steps will be easy. The country’s democracy will face serious struggles, even if Yoon’s night of martial law is just a bad memory. But South Korea’s citizens are up to the task. If they stopped a military dictatorship overnight, just as they deposed an earlier generation of autocrats, they can right their ship in the years ahead. – Foreign Affairs

China

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi held his first phone conversation Friday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a sign that Beijing is willing to get down to business with the new Trump administration. – Wall Street Journal

Step aside, Three Gorges Dam. China’s latest colossal infrastructure project, if completed, will be the world’s largest hydropower dam, high up in the Tibetan plateau on the border with India. – New York Times

Police have detained a man suspected of involvement in the case of a Chinese actor who was duped into travelling to Thailand for a film job and then trafficked to Myanmar, China’s Public Security Ministry said. – Reuters

The Central Intelligence Agency has assessed that the COVID-19 pandemic is “more likely” to have emerged from a lab rather than from nature, an agency spokesperson said on Saturday. – Reuters

A jailed gambling tycoon fighting extradition to China received “inhumane treatment” in a Thai prison after saying he was a Chinese spy, his lawyers have told Interpol, saying they fear for his life. – Reuters

China pledged to accept the return of undocumented Chinese citizens in the US, after President Donald Trump threatened to hit Colombia with tariffs of up to 50% for refusing to take back deported migrants. – Bloomberg

South Asia

At least five people were killed and 31 injured in an LPG tanker truck blast in Pakistan’s Multan region, Geo news reported on Monday. – Reuters

Colourful tableaux, fighter jet formations and motorbike stunts by army daredevils marked India’s Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on Sunday, commemorating the day the nation’s secular constitution came into effect in 1950. – Reuters

A new law in Pakistan aimed at regulating social media content has angered journalism groups and rights activists, which say it is aimed at curbing press freedom and called on Friday for nationwide protests next week. – Reuters

Asia

China and India should work in the same direction, explore more substantive measures and commit to mutual understanding, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in Beijing on Monday. – Reuters

Two historic statues were damaged in Melbourne ahead of Australia Day celebrations on Sunday, with tens of thousands of people across the country joining protests in support of Aboriginal groups who say the date is not one to cheer. – Reuters

Indonesia and India signed a wide range of agreements on Saturday covering culture, health, maritime, security and digital sectors. – Reuters

The Philippines said on Saturday it has suspended a scientific survey in the South China Sea after two of its fisheries vessels faced “harassment” and aggressive behaviour from China’s coast guard and navy. – Reuters

The Philippines launched a comic book on Friday in its fight against what it called distorted narratives about maritime rights in the disputed South China Sea, a move which drew criticism from China. – Reuters

China’s coast guard said the Philippines on Friday sent a civilian vessel to deliver provisions to its warship “illegally grounded” at Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed atoll in the South China Sea. – Reuters

Republican and Democratic U.S. lawmakers will introduce a bill on Friday requiring the Trump administration to review whether Hong Kong officials should be sanctioned for human rights violations, according to a bill text seen by Reuters. – Reuters

The Filipino wife of a Chinese national arrested recently in the Philippines for alleged espionage denied on Monday that her husband was a spy, saying he worked for a company specialising in self-driving cars. – Reuters

Vietnam’s overhaul of the nation’s political system that includes merging key ministries and slashing jobs has been approved by a top communist party body and now awaits parliament action. – Bloomberg

Europe

The European Union wants to slash red tape as it faces off with a new Trump administration threatening tariffs and promising lower regulation on the other side of the Atlantic, while the bloc’s top central banker suggested Europe could lure disaffected Americans to its shore to bolster growth. – Wall Street Journal

Exit polls in Belarus late Sunday showed autocrat Alexander Lukashenko taking 87.6 percent of the vote in a presidential race denounced by the European Union as a “sham” and the country’s opposition-in-exile as a “non-election.” – Washington Post

It was a contentious, aggressive telephone call, five days before the inauguration of President Trump on Jan. 20. Speaking to Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark, Mr. Trump insisted he wanted the United States to take over Greenland, the massive and autonomous Danish island that occupies a strategic part of the ocean as the ice caps melt and new shipping lanes open up. – New York Times

After the end of the Cold War, European military spending told a story of stability and optimism. Money flowed away from tanks and submarines and went instead to hospitals and pensions. – New York Times

Auschwitz survivors will be joined by world leaders on Monday to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German death camp by Soviet troops, in what will likely be one of the last such gatherings of those who experienced its horrors. – Reuters

An undersea fibre optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged on Sunday, likely as a result of external influence, Latvia said, prompting NATO to deploy patrol ships to the area and triggering a sabotage investigation by Swedish authorities. – Reuters

Elon Musk made a surprise appearance during Germany’s AfD (Alternative fuer Deutschland) election campaign event in Halle in eastern Germany on Saturday, speaking publicly in support of the far right party for the second time in as many weeks. – Reuters

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico rejected protesters’ calls for his resignation on Saturday after tens of thousands demonstrated against his government’s policy shift closer to Russia. – Reuters

Albania will create a sovereign Muslim state in Tirana for the Bektashi religious order, along the lines of the Vatican in Rome, to preserve and promote religious tolerance, Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Saturday. – Reuters

The leader of Moldova’s separatist Transdniestria region, gripped by power and heating cuts, said on Friday that gas reserves would be exhausted within days and urged the central government to end “artificial delays” and provide new supplies. – Reuters

Greek lawmakers failed to elect a new president in a first round of voting on Saturday. A majority of 200 votes in the 300-seat parliament was needed for one of the candidates proposed by political parties to assume the post, a largely ceremonial role. – Reuters

Moldovan President Maia Sandu arrived in Kyiv on Saturday for talks with her Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy, she said in a post on the X social network. – Reuters

AI, biotech and affordable clean energy will be the focus of an EU drive to make the bloc globally competitive and ensure it keeps pace with rivals the United States and China, according to a draft European Commission paper seen by Reuters. – Reuters

U.N. human rights experts and activists condemned on Sunday the arrest of an American, pro-Palestinian journalist in the Swiss city of Zurich, saying it raised concerns about freedom of speech. – Reuters

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pardoned 15 prisoners on Friday in what state media called a humanitarian gesture, two days before an election in which he is set to extend his 31-year rule. – Reuters

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to meet soon on a call on Sunday when they also spoke about the royal family and of their two countries “warm ties”, according to statement from Downing Street. – Reuters

The European Union rejected the election in Belarus on Sunday as illegitimate and threatened new sanctions. – Associated Press

Tens of thousands of Germans on Saturday protested in Berlin and other cities against the rise of the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of the Feb. 23 general election. – Associated Press

European Union foreign ministers agreed on Monday to extend sanctions on Russia over its war against Ukraine after Hungary lifted its opposition to the move. – Bloomberg

The European Union’s top military official said it would “make perfect sense” to station troops from EU countries in Greenland. – Politico

The European Union’s new economic “compass” has a north star the burgeoning movement to revoke stringent green rules will love. A leaked draft of the European Commission’s competitiveness compass — an economic doctrine to guide the EU executive’s work for the coming five years — points toward widespread deregulation targeting the European Green Deal in particular. – Politico

Africa

The United Nations Security Council on Sunday demanded that M23 rebel forces stop an ongoing offensive and advance towards Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and that “external forces” in the region immediately withdraw. – Reuters

Congolese M23 rebels entered the centre of the eastern city of Goma on Monday, two witnesses said, hours after they claimed to have seized the city despite the United Nations Security Council demanding an end to the offensive. – Reuters

The military governor of Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province has died from gunshot wounds suffered on the front line during an offensive by M23 rebels, the army said on Friday. – Reuters

A federal court in Nigeria has declared the Islamist Lakurawa group a terrorist organisation, a designation that allows the military to use maximum force against a group that has been an emerging threat to security in the northwest. – Reuters

Congo has severed all diplomatic ties with Rwanda and South Africa said on Saturday that nine of its peacekeepers had been killed amid a surge in fighting with Rwanda-backed rebels in mineral-rich eastern Congo. – Reuters

One of Europe’s most wanted fugitives, convicted cocaine smuggler Jos Leijdekkers, has found refuge and high-level protection in Sierra Leone, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the matter as well as photos and video footage seen by Reuters. – Reuters

Sierra Leone’s information ministry said on Sunday it was investigating media reports that European cocaine kingpin Jos Leijdekkers is in the country and benefiting from high-level protection there. – Reuters

The Sudanese army has broken a siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of its command centre in central Khartoum, the army said on Friday, in what would be a major victory in the capital after nearly two years of war. – Reuters

Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visited its strategic headquarters in central Khartoum on Sunday in his first appearance there since government forces claimed to have broken a months-long siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). – Reuters

The head of the World Health Organization called on Saturday for an end to attacks on healthcare workers and facilities in Sudan after a drone attack on a hospital in Sudan’s North Darfur region killed more than 70 people and wounded dozens. – Reuters

Suspected Islamist fighters killed at least 20 Nigerian soldiers, including a commanding officer, after attacking an army base in a remote town in northeastern Borno state, security sources and residents said on Sunday. – Reuters

Comoros President Azali Assoumani, who came to power in 1999 through a coup and has won four elections in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation since 2002, has denied he intends to hand over power to his son. – Reuters

South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA) party declared itself in dispute with the Government of National Unity (GNU) on Saturday, accusing it of failing to consult its coalition partners on bills relating to health and land expropriation. – Reuters

Three South African military personnel were killed and at least 14 more were wounded in fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, the South African National Defence Union said in a statement on Saturday. – Reuters

Ethiopian forces and Amhara militiamen have both in recent months killed dozens of civilians, caught in a conflict plaguing the country’s second-largest region since mid-2023, a state-appointed rights body said on Friday. – Reuters

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law a bill that will allow the government to seize land without having to pay compensation, which some in the government say is a threat to private ownership. – Fox News

The Americas

President Trump on Sunday night backed off a threat he had made earlier in the day to impose 25% tariffs and economic sanctions on Colombia, which the White House said had met its demands to repatriate migrants into the South American country. – Wall Street Journal

Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to seek explanations from the U.S. government over the “degrading treatment” of Brazilians on a deportation flight, the ministry wrote on X on Saturday night. – Reuters

Colombia’s Army announced on Saturday that 104 fighters from a faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), including 20 minors, have deserted from the illegal armed group amid an offensive by the rival National Liberation Army (ELN) in the northeast of the South American country. – Reuters

Cash-starved Cuba this month opened the first grocery store to accept hard U.S. currency on the island in nearly two decades, the latest sign in a trend towards dollarization in the Communist-run country. – Reuters

Rodrigue Petitot, who led protests in French-ruled Martinique, left prison on Friday after a court handed him a one-year suspended sentence for trespassing on state property during cost-of-living demonstrations. – Reuters

The president of Haiti’s transitional presidential council said the Trump administration’s decisions to freeze aid programs, deport migrants and block refugees will be “catastrophic” for Haiti. – Associated Press

Kareem Rifai writes: Maduro has overseen one of the world’s worst refugee crises — precisely because he and his government’s gross mismanagement and repression continue to fuel it. For Venezuelans to return, Maduro must go. With an experienced Latin America hand in Marco Rubio heading the State Department, and an eager congressional partner in Salazar leading the House Foreign Affairs Latin America Subcommittee, Trump has the resources and opportunity to accomplish in Venezuela what Biden simply could not. – The Hill

 

North America

Amazon.com said it is open to talks with officials from the Canadian and Quebec governments about the company’s decision to shut down operations in the country’s French-speaking province, which would lead to 1,700 people losing their jobs. – Wall Street Journal

Officials in Canada have long played down its role as a hub in the global trade of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl. Canada was a bit player compared with China’s role as a supplier of the drug’s raw ingredients and Mexico’s as a manufacturer and trafficker, they said. – Wall Street Journal

Momentum is growing among President Trump’s advisers to place 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada as soon as Saturday, bucking conventional wisdom in Washington and on Wall Street that he would back off the threatened levies as he has in the past in exchange for concessions. – Wall Street Journal

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday said that U.S. President Donald Trump’s decree earlier this week that drug cartels based in the country are terrorist groups “won’t help,” adding her government is nonetheless preparing for its legal impacts. – Reuters

Canada will cap the number of international students allowed to enter the country for a second year in a row in 2025, as the government continues to try to ease pressure on housing, healthcare and other services. – Reuters

Mexico has refused a request from President Donald Trump’s administration to allow a U.S. military aircraft deporting migrants to land in the country, a U.S. official and a Mexican official told Reuters. – Reuters

Mary Anastasia O’Grady writes: Many Canadians are tired of Mr. Trudeau’s habit of handing down elite diktats and hammering cultural dissidents. Many more are fed up with getting poorer every year […]Plenty can go wrong between now and election day. Mr. Poileivre’s pit-bull style has risks. But as long as he campaigns on affordability, energy, rebuilding the military and reviving the economy, he’s got the best chance of capturing the flag in Ottawa. – Wall Street Journal

United States

The Trump administration urged U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) workers to join the effort to transform how Washington allocates aid around the world in line with Trump’s “America First” policy. It threatened “disciplinary action” for any staff ignoring the administration’s orders. – Reuters

Two Republican senators urged President Donald Trump to reverse a decision to end government security details for his former aides who are at risk of revenge from Iran for the US killing of an Iranian senior commander in 2020. – Bloomberg

Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the suspension of visa issuance at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, the State Department said Sunday. – The Hill

Senate Democrats are remaining strictly tight-lipped about how they plan to approach anticipated votes on legislation sanctioning the International Criminal Court this week. – Jewish Insider

Cybersecurity

Chinese startup DeepSeek’s AI Assistant on Monday overtook rival ChatGPT to become the top-rated free application available on Apple’s App Store in the United States. – Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was in talks with multiple people over buying TikTok and would likely have a decision on the popular app’s future in the next 30 days. – Reuters

Digital news units of Indian billionaires Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, and other outlets including the Indian Express and the Hindustan Times, are joining proceedings against OpenAI for improperly using copyright content, legal papers show. – Reuters

The European Commission has asked social media giants including Facebook, TikTok and X to take part in a test to see whether they are doing enough to counter disinformation in the run-up to next month’s German election, an EU spokesperson said on Friday. – Reuters

Iranian hacker group Handala infiltrated panic buttons in some 20 kindergartens Sunday morning, using the systems’ loudspeakers to broadcast rocket sirens and Arabic songs supportive of terrorism. – Times of Israel 

Asheesh Agarwal writes: By engaging in good-faith settlement talks, and by abandoning aggressive theories unsupported by evidence of consumer harm, the FTC and the Justice Department could try to resolve these cases along lines consistent with precedent. While President Trump has criticized certain tech companies in the past, he has also praised their impact on American ingenuity and economic strength. The right balance, including measured enforcement, will foster innovation, safeguard competition and ensure America’s ongoing leadership in the global tech race. – The Hill

Defense

U.S. officials are preparing to send thousands of additional troops to the U.S.-Mexico border — including, potentially, infantry soldiers equipped with 20-ton Stryker combat vehicles, according to four U.S. officials familiar with the planning. – Washington Post

Denmark agreed on Friday to discuss the Arctic region with Washington, Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said, after his first phone call with the top diplomat of the administration of President Donald Trump, who wants control of Greenland. – Reuters

The U.S. Air Force said on Sunday it will resume instruction of trainees using a video about the first Black airmen in the U.S. military, known as the Tuskegee Airmen, which has passed review to ensure compliance with President Donald Trump’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. – Reuters

With a new defense secretary confirmed, Senate officials can now turn their attention to considering President Donald Trump’s picks to lead the individual military services. But exactly when those hearings will take place is unclear. – Military Times

Editorial: Under the current legal framework, victims have little legal recourse to prosecute or punish those who sabotage cables in international waters. The U.S. and Europe will also have to consider how to respond so hostile actors don’t enjoy impunity when sabotage occurs. Meanwhile, redundancies in cables can mitigate the risks of serious disruption, and reducing red tape and streamlined permitting would encourage cable construction and hasten repairs. This is a vital project for the Trump Administration and U.S. allies.- Wall Street Journal