Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 20th of January, covering the latest developments you need to know.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose a 200% tariff on French wines and champagnes after France declined to join his proposed Board of Peace on Gaza. Asked about French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision, Trump said “nobody wants him because he will be out of office very soon,” adding that the tariff threat could force France to join. France said the board’s proposed powers could undermine the role of the United Nations, warning it would go beyond Gaza and raise serious concerns over the United Nation’s principles and structure.
Australia is set to pass new laws enabling a national gun buyback and stricter background checks for firearm licences following the country’s deadliest mass shooting in decades at a Jewish festival in Bondi Beach last month. The bill passed the lower house on Tuesday by 96 votes to 45 and is expected to clear the Senate with support from the Greens. The measures would establish the largest gun buyback since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre and expand licence checks using intelligence data. The government said Australia held a record 4.1 million firearms last year. Conservative lawmakers opposed the bill, arguing it unfairly targets lawful gun owners, while separate legislation on hate speech offences is also under debate.
Syrian government forces expanded control across parts of northern and eastern Syria after Kurdish-led fighters withdrew under a ceasefire agreement, consolidating President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s authority. Syria’s Interior Ministry said about 120 Islamic State detainees had escaped from a prison in the eastern town of Shaddadi after it came under government control, with security forces later recapturing dozens during search operations. The withdrawal followed the Syrian Democratic Forces’ decision to leave Raqqa and Deir al-Zor, key provinces that include major oil fields, under a deal requiring Kurdish fighters to be integrated individually into Syria’s armed forces.
Spain will hold three days of national mourning after a high-speed train collision in the southern province of Córdoba killed at least 40 people and injured around 120 others. The crash occurred near the town of Adamuz when two high-speed trains collided, with regional authorities warning the death toll could rise as dozens remain missing. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged full transparency as a formal investigation was launched, while rail services between Madrid and southern Andalusia were heavily disrupted following one of Spain’s deadliest rail accidents in decades.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that Greenland was “imperative for National and World Security”, reinforcing his push to acquire the territory while escalating trade pressure on European allies. Trump said Denmark could not adequately protect Greenland and warned he would impose tariffs on countries opposing his plan, including a threatened 200% duty on French wines after France declined to join his proposed Board of Peace. European leaders rejected the approach, with Denmark and Greenland insisting the island is not for sale and European Union officials warning they are prepared to retaliate if the tariffs are imposed.
Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) prevented 273 terrorist attacks and more than 3,000 crimes linked to terrorism, separa...
More than 150 people have been killed in a drone strike on a crowded market in the disputed Abyei region, South Sudanese officials said, marking on...
The C5+1 ministerial meeting in Samarkand has strengthened economic ties between the U.S. and Central Asia, with Uzbekistan securing 54 agreements ...
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for continuing to target Russia's energy infrastructure, while Russian strikes on Kyiv overnight killed at least one person and damaged a metro station.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Norway for talks about the Russia-Ukraine war. He is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who arrived in Oslo earlier. Witkoff will also meet European officials.
French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the violence, looting and vandalism that erupted during cost-of-living protests across France. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu held crisis talks on Monday, calling for partial curfews and raising the possibility of a state of emergency.
An oil tanker caught fire after striking a naval mine in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said late Sunday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said regional issues should be resolved through diplomacy and blamed the United States for insecurity and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, speaking at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday.
More than 150 people have been killed in a drone strike on a crowded market in the disputed Abyei region, South Sudanese officials said, marking one of the deadliest attacks linked to Sudan's civil war since it began in April 2023.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Norway for talks about the Russia-Ukraine war. He is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who arrived in Oslo earlier. Witkoff will also meet European officials.
Beijing says it deployed naval forces to monitor a U.S. warship near Sabina Shoal, while Taiwan reports a separate confrontation with a Chinese coast guard vessel near the Pratas Islands.
Tensions are mounting across Asia, with North Korea warning of war, China clashing with the U.S. and the Philippines, and protests gathering pace in Indonesia and India. Military threats, diplomatic disputes and political unrest are fuelling uncertainty across the region.
Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta voted to remain part of the country in a non-binding referendum on Monday, 19 October, CBC News reports, delivering a much-needed victory for Prime Minister Mark Carney amid an ongoing trade war with the United States.
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