Politics
Trump weighs tough Iran scenarios, but each carries serious risks
The White House is signalling its readiness to intervene after the bloody crackdown on protests in Iran, but military, political and cyber options could have unintended consequences for the region.
Mykhailo Fedorov appointed Minister of Defence of Ukraine
The newly appointed leader outlined the key achievements of wartime and announced large-scale reforms, an anti-corruption course and technological strengthening of the army.
Media: at least 12,000 people killed during crackdown on protests in Iran
The massacres took place on 8 and 9 January during a complete internet blackout. Journalists talk about the biggest tragedy in the country's modern history.
Major oil traders plan to resume selling Venezuelan oil to China and India
Vitol and Trafigura, after prior approval from the US, started negotiations with major Asian refiners on possible supplies of Venezuelan crude oil.
Scholz: Putin planned attack on Ukraine at least two years before invasion
The former German chancellor said that the Kremlin could have achieved its demands without war, but deliberately chose a military scenario. He said this on 13 January in Berlin during the presentation of a book about the failure of German policy towards Russia.
Washington's secret contacts with the Iranian opposition: Vitkoff meets with Reza Pahlavi
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff held a non-public meeting with the son of the last Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi. The talks took place against the backdrop of mass anti-government protests and discussions in the White House on how to proceed with Tehran.
Russia seeks to circumvent sanctions to maintain oil supplies to India
Analysts have noted that Russia's export chain is being restructured to maintain cheap oil supplies to India, which remains the world's second largest buyer of Russian crude.
Power struggle brews in Chechnya over Kadyrov's serious illness
The health of the Chechen leader has deteriorated sharply, and Moscow is preparing for scenarios of power transitions in the region, where the Kremlin wants to maintain maximum control.
Global central banks publicly defend Fed Chairman Jerome Powell
Governors of the world's leading central banks expressed their full support for the US Federal Reserve Chairman and warned against political pressure on monetary policy independence.
Media report that Yulia Tymoshenko was caught offering bribes to MPs
The NABU and the SAPO announced that the head of a parliamentary faction had been caught offering undue advantage for voting in the Rada. According to Ukrainian media, this is the leader of the Batkivshchyna party, Yulia Tymoshenko.
US uses microwave weapons to capture Maduro
The US military may have used directed energy systems in a real combat operation for the first time during the arrest of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.
Putin's project of superpower status is bursting at the seams, the Kremlin has failed to cover up its allies in Venezuela and Iran
The war against Ukraine has dragged on longer than the 1,418 days of the Soviet campaign against the Nazis, and Moscow's external allies are weakening amid Donald Trump's tougher policies.
