AnewZ Morning Brief - 18 January, 2026
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 18 January, covering the latest developments you need to know....
Pope Leo has criticised corporate pay packages that grant executives hundreds of times more than workers, citing Tesla’s $1 trillion compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk. The remarks came in excerpts from his first media interview, released on Sunday by Catholic news site Crux.
The U.S.-born pontiff, elected in May to succeed Pope Francis, said CEOs once made four to six times more than employees but now earn 600 times more. “Yesterday (there was) the news that Elon Musk is going to be the first trillionaire in the world. What does that mean and what’s that about? If that is the only thing that has value anymore, then we’re in big trouble,” Leo said.
Leo also criticised the United Nations, saying it had lost its ability to foster effective multilateral diplomacy. “The United Nations should be the place where many issues are dealt with,” he said. “Unfortunately, it seems to be generally recognised that the United Nations, at least at this moment in time, has lost its ability to bring people together.”
The new pope, originally from Chicago, reflected on decades as a missionary in Peru and how he has been adapting to the papacy. He admitted he felt prepared to lead Catholics on spiritual matters but less prepared for global diplomacy. “The totally new aspect to this job is being thrown onto the level of world leader. I’m learning a lot and feeling very challenged, but not overwhelmed,” he said.
The Turkish Defence Ministry has voiced its support for recent military operations by Syrian government forces against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which enjoy the support of the United States.
Tens of thousands of users were left unable to access Elon Musk’s social media platform X on Friday, with outages reported across multiple countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
Armenia has reaffirmed that it has no intention of taking any actions directed against Iran, with senior officials stressing that relations with Tehran remain friendly and constructive.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held separate calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on 16 January, offering Russia’s help to mediate tensions and promote dialogue in the Middle East.
The Kremlin has welcomed recent signals from several major European capitals suggesting a renewed openness to dialogue with Moscow, calling the shift a “positive evolution” in Europe’s stance towards Russia.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 18 January, covering the latest developments you need to know.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened a sweeping new round of tariffs on several European allies unless the United States is allowed to buy Greenland, escalating a diplomatic row over the Danish Arctic territory.
Leaders from several countries have received invitations to join a so-called U.S.-led ‘Board of Peace’, an initiative that would initially aim to end the conflict in Gaza before expanding to address other global disputes, diplomats said on Saturday.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday (17 January) that concerns over security in Greenland should be addressed within the framework of NATO, describing a ground military intervention as highly unlikely.
The European Union and South American bloc Mercosur have signed a long-awaited free trade agreement in Paraguay, opening the way for what would become the EU’s largest-ever trade deal.
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