"Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has submitted two draft bills to the parliament to extend martiallaw and general mobilization for another 90 days, effectively postponing elections once again. The move comes despite pressure from US President Donald Trump and the Ukrainian leader earlier saying he was open to holding an election.
One of the draft laws submitted to the Verhovna Rada on Monday would extend martial law from February 3 to early May, which would effectively bar national elections for this period. Martial law has been renewed repeatedly in three-month increments since 2022. The other bill would prolong the controversial forced mobilization campaign on the same timetable.
Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May 2024." RT
"The U.S. State Department has issued an urgent security alert, warning all American citizens in Iran to depart the country immediately without expecting any assistance from Washington." RT
"President Trump's remarks to reporters Friday made clear he is willing to take control of Greenland - even if it's the "hard way" - and this sent the Europeans scrambling over the weekend to come up with plans or strategies for quickly de-escalating inter-NATO tensions.
"I'm not talking about money for Greenland yet. I might talk about that. But right now we are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not," the President had said, adding: "I would like to make a deal. You know, the easy way. But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way."In the wake of this, NATO member Denmark responded firmly in the face of the US threat to its colony. Such a scenario as a US military move on Greenland would be the collapse of NATO, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has made clear. Among the remarks from last week, Frederiksen said, "If the United States were to choose to attack another NATO country, then everything would come to an end."
European countries are seeking to seize on Trump's talking points about Greenland being strategically crucial for Arctic security, as rival powers like Russia and China seek to move in.
"A group of European countries, led by the U.K. and Germany, is discussing plans for a military presence in Greenland to show U.S. President Donald Trump that the continent is serious about Arctic security and to try to tamp down American threats to take over the self-ruling Danish territory," reports Bloomberg.
So this seems all about creating a fresh NATO joint mission to appease Trump, soften the rhetoric, and take away one of his main geostrategic justifications for a Greenland takeover.
Bloomberg continues, "Germany will propose setting up a joint NATO mission to protect the Arctic region, according to people familiar with the plans."
This includes backing from Britain, with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer having separately called on allied nations to strengthen their security footprint in the far north. Pre-planning discussions have been held with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz." ZeroHedge
"After it quietly faded away in late summer, that trade war with China is about to make a triumphal reappearance.
In a day that was already flooded by a relentless firehose of newsflow, Trump added to the leaning tower of chaos when said on Truth Social that he was imposing a 25% tariff on goods from countries “doing business” with Iran (most notably China which is its largest oil client), ratcheting up pressure on the government in Tehran that has been rocked by widespread protests." ZeroHedge
"Iranian authorities are reportedly preparing to carry out what would be the first hanging execution associated with the nationwide anti-Khamenei protests, with 26-year-old Erfan Soltani facing an imminent death sentence.
Soltani, a resident of Fardis in Karaj suburb of Tehran, was arrested on January 8 for participating in anti-Ayatollah Ali Khamenei protests that have spread across Iran since early January. According to a human rights group and media reports, Soltani's sentence is scheduled for Wednesday." msn
"A strong magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit 128 km (79 mi) away from Calama, Region de Antofagasta, Chile, in the early morning at 4.28 am local time (America/Santiago GMT -3). The quake had a moderate depth of 120 km (75 mi) and was felt by many near the epicenter." VD
"A strong magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurred in the South Pacific Ocean 377 km (234 mi) from Chile in the evening at 8.39 pm local time (GMT -7). The depth of the quake could not be determined, but is assumed to be shallow.
The quake was not felt (or at least not reported so)." VD
"A very strong magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurred in the North Pacific Ocean 94 km (58 mi) from Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, in the late afternoon at 6.34 pm local time (GMT +11). The quake had a shallow depth of 36 km (22 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so)." VD
"As many as 159 combat engagements were recorded between Ukrainian forces and Russian invaders.
Enemy airstrikes targeted areas near the settlements of Verkhnia Tersa, Barvinivka, Liubytske, Vozdvyzhivka, and Zaliznychne in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Over the past day, the Ukrainian Defense Forces' aviation struck ten areas of enemy personnel concentration and two enemy command posts.
On the Northern Slobozhanshchyna and Kursk axеs, the enemy carried out one airstrike, dropping one aerial bomb, and conducted 101 attacks, including seven using multiple launch rocket systems.On the Southern Slobozhanshchyna axis, Ukrainian forces repelled six enemy attacks near the settlements of Kruhle, Ternova, Obukhivka, and Dehtiarne, as well as toward the settlements of Prylipka and Hrafske.
On the Kupiansk axis, six enemy assaults were recorded. Ukrainian defenders repelled Russian assault actions near Borivska Andriivka and toward Petropavlivka and Kurylivka.
On the Lyman axis, the enemy launched 16 attacks, attempting to break through Ukrainian defenses near Novoselivka, Ridkodub, Zarichne, Yampil, and in the areas of Lyman, Stavky, and Drobysheve.
On the Sloviansk axis, Ukrainian forces repelled six enemy attacks near Sviato-Pokrovske, Platonivka, Pazene, and toward Zakytne and Riznykivka.
On the Kramatorsk axis, the enemy did not conduct offensive actions.
On the Kostiantynivka axis, the enemy carried out 19 attacks near Kostiantynivka, Oleksandro-Shultyne, Pleshchiivka, Shcherbynivka, Ivanopillia, and Rusyn Yar, as well as toward Stepanivka and Sofiivka.
On the Pokrovsk axis, Ukrainian defenders stopped 26 enemy assault actions near Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk, Zapovidne, Rodynske, Kotlyne, Udachne, Molodetske, Filiia, and toward Kucheriv Yar.
On the Oleksandrivka axis, the enemy conducted 13 attacks near Zlahoda, Verbove, and toward Nove Zaporizhzhia.
On the Huliaipole axis, Ukrainian forces repelled 34 Russian attacks near Huliaipole and toward Olenokostiantynivka and Varvarivka.
On the Orikhiv axis, Ukrainian troops repelled one enemy attack near Prymorske.
On the Dnipro River axis, Ukrainian units repelled one Russian assault toward the Antonivskyi Bridge area." Ukrin
"Ukrainian forces struck three Russian drilling platforms belonging to Lukoil, one of Russia's largest oil producers, in the Caspian Sea.
Separately, Ukraine also hit a Russian Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile system in the occupied parts of Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast and other military assets, according to the statement.
The three Lukoil Corporation drilling platforms hit by Ukraine — the V. Filanovsky, Yuri Korchagin, and Valery Graifer platforms — are used for oil and gas extraction." KI
"Zaporizhzhia Oblast and parts of neighboring Dnipropetrovsk Oblast were left completelywithout electricity overnight as Ukraine grapples with blackouts amid Russian strikes and heavy snowfall.
The city of Kyiv is also facing prolonged power outages due to Russian attacks and freezing temperatures, authorities said.
While the authorities did not specify the reason for the overnight blackout in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the news comes as Moscow escalates its missile and drone attacks against Ukraine's energy grid." KI
"Iran has summoned the British ambassador in Tehran after its national flag was torn down from the embassy in London, several Iranian government-linked outlets reported.
The incident occurred on Saturday when members of the Iranian diaspora gathered outside the embassy in Kensington to show support for ongoing protests in Iran. An activist climbed the wall, removed the Islamic Republic’s flag, and displayed Iran’s pre-1979 royal flag, featuring a lion and sun, from the balcony above the main entrance." RT
"A severe winter storm has killed at least six people and disrupted transport across Europe. Heavy snow, freezing rain, and temperatures below −10°C (14°F) caused deadly accidents in France, flight cancellations in Paris and Amsterdam, along with widespread power and travel disruptions.At least six people have died as a severe cold snap hit many parts of Europe with heavy snow, ice, and sub-zero temperatures across Europe.
The Arctic outbreak caused multiple accidents, flight cancellations, and train disruptions across France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the western Balkans.
Five fatalities were reported in France following multiple collisions caused by icy roads and black ice, including several crashes in the southwest and in the Paris region. The sixth fatality was a woman who died in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, after being hit by a tree that collapsed under the weight of the snowfall." W
"In a world where wars solve nothing, Trump’s brand of pressure politics may be the closest thing to modern peace.
The mass casualties and destruction inherent in traditional warfare strike a New York realestate developer as simply pointless. There are other ways to compete and to coerce counterparts into agreements. Yes, they are often blunt, inelegant, and abrasive. But they are far less traumatic for states and societies. And that alone makes them preferable – everything is relative, after all. Even the outrageously brazen operation to seize Venezuela’s president, complete with strikes on military targets, turned out to be relatively precise and only moderately bloody." RT
"A strong magnitude 5.0 earthquake hit 23 km (15 mi) away from Tatkon, Sagaing Region,
Burma, in the early morning at 1.45 am local time (Asia/Kolkata GMT +5:30). The quake had a moderate depth of 130 km (81 mi) and was felt widely in the area." VD
