Trump lambasts Europe overnight as Greenland feud escalates
In a flurry of social media posts last night, US President Donald Trump chastised several of his European counterparts, threatening extra tariffs on specific goods, releasing private text messages, and publishing AI-generated images that displayed Greenland, Canada and Venezuela as American territories. Trump’s late-night barrage follows his Saturday announcement that the US plans to impose an extra 10% tariff on eight European nations over their support for Greenland, beginning Feb. 1. The US leader added to the friction Monday by inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the Gaza Board of Peace. Even some of Trump’s right-wing allies in Europe, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the UK’s Nigel Farage, criticized the move. Trump will come face to face with European leaders when he flies out to Davos later today.
Under duress, Syria’s Kurds make deal with Damascus
After Syria’s government made significant territorial gains into areas controlled by the Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) last week, the US-backed Kurdish group agreed to a deal that’s been long in the making. The agreement establishes an immediate ceasefire and folds the SDF into the country’s military forces. The Syrian government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, and SDF have sealed pacts before, but the context is different this time: the Kurds are in a much weaker position after recent battlefield losses. Under the terms, the Syrian government will take over much of the semi-autonomous region of Syria that the Kurds had seized during the 14-year civil war that ended in 2024, including the oil and gas fields.
Guatemala cracks down on gangs after coordinated prison uprising
Guatemala's President Bernardo Arévalo declared a 30-day state of emergency after authorities accused criminal gangs of killing eight police officers in a coordinated prison riot. The violence erupted when gang-affiliated inmates at three prisons took 46 hostages, demanding that incarcerated leaders be moved to lower-security facilities. Authorities retook all three prisons Sunday, and the emergency measure suspends assembly rights and permits warrantless arrests. The chaos reflects Guatemala's ongoing struggle with transnational gangs like Barrio 18 and MS-13, which are blamed for driving up the country's homicide rate to double the global average.
We’re also watching the fallout of Sunday’s tragic train crash in southern Spain that has left at least 41 people dead and dozens injured. Authorities who are investigating the cause have found a broken joint on the rails. The high-speed rail network is the second-largest in the world, behind only China.
