Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

What We're Watching

What We’re Watching: Greenlanders & Danes comes to DC, Somalia cuts ties with the UAE, Japan is heading for an election

​A shop owner David Rogilds holds a shirt that he sells in Nuuk, Greenland, January 14, 2026.

A shop owner David Rogilds holds a shirt that he sells in Nuuk, Greenland, January 14, 2026.

REUTERS/Marko Djurica
Make us preferred on Google

Greenland officials come to Washington, after PM rejects joining US

Rock, meet hard place: officials from Denmark and Greenland are meeting with members of the Trump administration to discuss the future of the semi-autonomous island. The various players have discussed the matter before, but this is the first time since US President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric about taking over Greenland. Yesterday, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen rejected the idea of joining the United States, saying, “We choose Denmark.” Meanwhile, Europe is keen to strike a deal that keeps the NATO alliance intact and avoids a military encounter. The US Senate may have a similar view: a bipartisan group will reportedly propose a bill that would bar the State Department from using congressional funds to annex Greenland. This move could hamstring Trump’s negotiating position.


Somalia abruptly cuts ties with the UAE

The East African nation says the UAE violated its sovereignty. Although Somalia didn’t provide additional details, the move comes amid allegations by Saudi Arabia that the UAE helped a fugitive rebel from Yemen flee to Abu Dhabi via Somali territory. Cutting ties with the UAE is a big deal: the Emirates have invested lots of money in Somalia’s ports and military over the years. But there are other recent irritants — including when Israel recognized the independence of Somaliland, a secessionist region of the country, there were whispers that the UAE had supported the move. Not coincidentally, they would continue to recognize the UAE. Zoom out and this looks like yet another example of the growing UAE vs Saudi rivalry in the region? See more on that here.

Japan’s prime minister expected to take a general election gamble

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to call a snap general election in February according to coalition partners – her first major political gamble since taking office last year. Takaichi is hoping her high approval ratings will propel her Liberal Democratic Party – which by contrast, is quite unpopular – to an outright majority in both houses of parliament. However, the LDP, which has ruled Japan almost continuously since 1955, is no longer in coalition with the Komeito Party for the first time in 26 years, which could hurt their voter turnout. Takaichi is betting the election strengthens her mandate before passing a budget that is likely to take aim at the country’s mountain of debt, but she is also opening herself up to the risk that her party loses even more seats.

More For You

​Ursula von der Leyen ( Praesidentin der Europaeischen Kommission) sagt Mark Carney (Primeminister Canada), die Zusammenarbeit zu.

Ursula von der Leyen ( Praesidentin der Europaeischen Kommission) sagt Mark Carney (Primeminister Canada), die Zusammenarbeit zu.

Strassburg Strasbourg Frankreich / France /Europarlament
EU to create an “associate” program for CanadaThe bloc is looking to deepen ties with the Great White North as both sides adjust to unprecedented hostility from their traditional main ally, the US. The Trump administration has threatened Canada’s sovereignty, pulled back support for NATO, demanded control of Greenland, and waged trade wars against [...]
rotesters burn tyres and block the road in protest against rising fuel prices on the highway between Aleppo and Turkey, Syria.

rotesters burn tyres and block the road in protest against rising fuel prices on the highway between Aleppo and Turkey, Syria, September 13, 2026.

REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano
Fuel price protests rock Syria Protests erupted across several regions of the country after the government on Sunday announced increases of up to 40% for diesel and 30% for gasoline. In Syria, government-related energy companies price and distribute fuels. The price hike was a response to soaring oil prices caused by the war in Iran, as well as a [...]
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, speaks during the Anthropic Builder Summit.

Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, speaks during the Anthropic Builder Summit in Bengaluru, India, February 16, 2026.

REUTERS/Priyanshu Singh
The “prisoner's dilemma” with AI regulationIn recent days, the bosses of the top US AI companies have supported more stringent regulation of the industry. Their statements came after a viral post from an Anthropic employee who said he quit over fears that AI could “kill us all.” A strong majority of US voters want more regulation, but the [...]
What we're still watching, 25 years later
A group of firefighters walks near the remains of the destroyed World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001. Two hijacked U.S. commercial planes slammed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center early on Tuesday, causing both 110-story landmarks to collapse in thunderous clouds of fire and smoke.
The air qualityJust a week after the Twin Towers fell, the head of the US Environmental Protection Agency declared the air in Lower Manhattan safe to breathe. However, files released by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office last week confirmed that 10 months after the attacks, health officials were still finding evidence of carcinogens like asbestos. The [...]