10 Things Global News - 15th January 2026
Succinct, unbiased news from around the world
Trump Signals Pause as Iran Protest Deaths Reportedly Subside
Senate GOP Blocks Venezuela War Powers Resolution
US Pauses Immigrant Visa Processing for 75 Countries
US Moves Gaza Ceasefire Plan Into Second Phase
Australia Hate Speech, Gun Laws Face Cross-Party Pushback
Denmark Says Rift With Trump Over Greenland Persists
Trump Blames Zelenskiy For Delaying Peace Deal
Zelensky Declares Energy Emergency as Kyiv Freezes
High Seas Treaty Enters Force
Japan, Philippines Sign Logistics Defence Pact
U.S. President Donald Trump said the killings linked to Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests were subsiding and that he believed there was currently no plan for large-scale executions, citing information from “very important sources on the other side”. He said he would “watch what the process is” and did not rule out possible military action, adding that the administration had received a “very good statement” from Iran.
Analysts and regional diplomats warned that U.S. strikes could backfire by intensifying the crackdown, smothering the protests and triggering retaliatory missile attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East. In a more extreme scenario, they said, intervention could hasten the government’s collapse, unleash chaos across the country of 90 million people, encourage Kurdish and Baluch insurgencies and leave Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes unsecured.
U.S. intelligence assessments earlier this week concluded that while the protests posed a serious challenge, the government did not appear close to collapsing.
Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg
Senate Republicans blocked a war powers resolution that would have required President Donald Trump to seek congressional authorisation before further military operations in Venezuela. The vote followed last week’s revolt, when five Republicans joined Democrats after the surprise U.S. operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Trump responded angrily, calling for the defectors to lose their seats.
By Wednesday, Majority Leader John Thune had flipped two votes, and the measure was blocked 51 to 50 with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie. Senators Josh Hawley and Todd Young said assurances from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials that there were no American troops in Venezuela, and that the administration would come to Congress in advance if major operations were planned, eased their concerns.
Three other Republicans who backed the resolution earlier did not change their positions.
Sources: NPR, Axios
The Trump administration will place an indefinite pause on immigrant visa processing from 75 countries, further restricting legal routes for entering the United States. The State Department said the move is meant to end what it called abuse of the system by people who would extract wealth from the American people by using welfare and public benefits.
The order takes effect on 21 January, but a full list of the 75 countries has not been released. Tommy Pigott, the State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson, said the department will use its authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge and exploit the generosity of the American people.
The department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said it will pause processing while it reassesses procedures to prevent entry by foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits. The suspension will not apply to temporary tourist or business visas.
Sources: BBC, Al Jazeera
The United States announced the start of the next phase of a Gaza ceasefire plan as a committee of Palestinian technocrats was formed to handle Gaza’s daily governance. US envoy Steve Witkoff said phase two would focus on demilitarisation, technocratic governance and reconstruction, and said the US expected Hamas to return the final deceased hostage immediately, warning that failure would bring serious consequences.
The move comes despite Israeli opposition over a lack of progress on Hamas disarmament and the remains of one hostage, Ran Gvili, still being held in Gaza. Israel has refused to open the Rafah crossing between Israel and Egypt. Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel still demanded the return of Gvili’s remains.
Phase two also requires an International Stabilization Force to deploy to Gaza to support a Palestinian police force and allow Israel to begin withdrawing, but few countries have been willing to commit personnel. The UN estimates reconstruction would cost more than $50 billion.
Sources: CNN, South China Morning Post
Australia’s government has recalled Parliament from its summer break to try to pass a combined bill authorising a gun buyback and lowering the bar for hate speech prosecutions after the Bondi Beach mass shooting. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it “should have been a moment of national unity” and signalled the government is prepared to consider amendments.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley said the bill was “unsalvageable” and threatened free speech, while also arguing it did not target “radical Islamic extremist hate preaching” without impinging on free speech. The National Party criticised combining gun control measures and hate speech in the same bill. The Greens said it would not support the bill, citing concerns about political protest and changes to the migration act, and called for hate speech protections to be broadened beyond race to cover Islamophobia.
Labor holds a lower-house majority and is negotiating with the Greens for Senate support.
Sources: Reuters, SBS News
Denmark’s foreign minister said a “fundamental disagreement” with President Donald Trump over Greenland remains after talks in Washington with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Lars Løkke Rasmussen said both sides agreed to form a working group to find a “common way forward” that addresses American security concerns while respecting Denmark’s red lines.
Trump said he would not “give up options” on acquiring Greenland and believes “something will work out,” after arguing the United States needs Greenland for national security. He has suggested NATO should help the US acquire the island and said anything less than it being under American control is unacceptable.
Denmark announced plans to boost its military presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic. Denmark’s defence ministry also announced additional military exercises in Greenland involving aircraft, vessels and soldiers from Denmark and NATO allies including Germany, France and Sweden.
Sources: Associated Press, New York Times
President Donald Trump told Reuters that Ukraine - not Russia - is holding up a potential peace deal, saying Vladimir Putin is ready to end his nearly four-year-old invasion while Volodymyr Zelenskiy is “less ready to make a deal”. Asked why U.S.-led negotiations had not resolved the war, Trump responded: “Zelenskiy.”
U.S.-led talks have centred in recent weeks on security guarantees for a post-war Ukraine, and U.S. negotiators have pushed Ukraine to abandon its eastern Donbas region as part of any accord with Russia. Ukrainian officials have been deeply involved, with talks led on the U.S. side by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Zelenskiy has publicly ruled out any territorial concessions to Moscow, saying Kyiv has no right under the constitution to give up any land. Trump said he believed Zelenskiy was “having a hard time getting there”.
Sources: Reuters, The Hill
Ukraine has declared a state of emergency in its energy sector, with a particular focus on Kyiv, after ongoing Russian strikes left thousands without power. Overnight temperatures in the capital have recently dropped to around -20C, and officials say many homes have also lost heating or running water.
After a special cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said a round-the-clock task force would fix damage from strikes and worsening weather. He said the measures include procuring vital energy equipment and resources from abroad, and increasing emergency help points around Kyiv to provide heat and power, a move that could see a relaxing of the midnight curfew.
Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have not been limited to the capital. Ukrainian officials said last week that more than one million people in south-eastern Ukraine spent hours without heating and water supplies as a result of Russian air strikes.
Sources: BBC, Al Jazeera
A United Nations agreement known as the High Seas Treaty will enter into force on 17 January, creating the first legally binding global framework to protect marine biodiversity in international waters. The treaty covers activities beyond national jurisdictions, including industrial fishing, deep-sea mining and bio-prospecting, which will now be subject to environmental impact assessments, marine protected areas and shared scientific oversight.
The agreement has been signed by 145 nations and ratified by 81. China has ratified and will be bound by its rules from day one. The United States has signed but has not yet secured Senate approval. That divergence potentially gives Beijing and other early adopters a new diplomatic position as ocean governance becomes more strategically important.
The treaty reflects a growing consensus that the high seas, long treated as an open-access frontier, can no longer remain a regulatory vacuum.
Sources: South China Morning Post, Nature
Japan and the Philippines have signed a defence pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training. The agreement is intended to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and strengthen preparation for natural disasters.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi signed the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement with Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro in Manila. Lazaro said both sides recognised the value of promoting the rule of law, including freedom of navigation and overflight, especially in the South China Sea.
The military logistical agreement must be ratified by Japanese legislators before it takes effect. Officials said it would also support joint responses to natural disasters and participation in UN peacekeeping operations. It adds to a recent run of defence cooperation, after the two countries signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement in mid-2024 that took effect in September.
Sources: Associated Press, Euronews
On this day ….
On this day in 2001, the collaborative online encycloepedia Wikipedia was launched by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, marking a major innovation in crowd-sourced knowledge.
Originally conceived as a complement to the expert-reviewed Nupedia, Wikipedia grew rapidly as volunteers around the world contributed and edited articles across disciplines and languages.
Its model of open contribution and neutral point-of-view policies transformed how people access reference material and has had enduring impact on the distribution of information in the digital age.