January 20, 07:20 AM • 48318 viewsJanuary 20, 02:39 PM • 18883 viewsUkraine and the US are holding a second day of talks in Berlin on a plan to end the war, with security guarantees for Ukraine taking center stage. President Zelenskyy is discussing abandoning NATO membership in exchange for bilateral security agreements.
Iranian authorities detained a foreign oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, which was carrying 6 million liters of smuggled fuel. There were 18 crew members on board the vessel, who were detained.
A shooting near Brown University on December 13 resulted in 2 deaths and 8 injuries. The FBI is investigating the incident that occurred near the engineering faculty.
European officials are concerned that a new US-initiated peace deal in Ukraine could allow Russia to use a demilitarized zone to re-invade Donbas. Moscow demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops, while Kyiv refuses to cede territory.
Switzerland has decided to purchase fewer F-35 fighter jets from the US than planned to keep costs within the approved limit. The country faced additional costs of up to 1.3 billion Swiss francs due to rising energy and raw material prices.
The German Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in Berlin over cyberattacks aimed at undermining democracy. Germany has evidence of GRU involvement in a 2024 cyberattack and interference in the February elections.
A U. S. appeals court sided with Epic Games Inc. in its dispute with Apple Inc., upholding a lower court's ruling. Apple violated an injunction by charging a 27% commission on transactions outside the App Store.
Strong winds in Brazil's São Paulo led to widespread power outages, leaving 1. 3 million consumers without electricity. Economic losses for businesses are estimated at least at 290 million US dollars.
Microsoft's AI chief, Mustafa Suleyman, stated that the company aims to create a superintelligence that aligns with humanity's interests. He promised to halt work if AI poses a threat, emphasizing that a system that could get out of control would not be developed.
OpenAI has unveiled a new artificial intelligence model, GPT-5. 2, designed to enhance ChatGPT's capabilities in programming, scientific research, and work-related tasks. It handles information retrieval, writing, and translation faster and more efficiently, and better mimics human thought.
US President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks on the progress of bilateral relations. The leaders discussed trade negotiations and cooperation in technology, defense, and security.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated the possibility of putting the issue of territorial control of Donbas to a referendum. This is due to pressure on Kyiv regarding a peace plan that should end the war with Russia.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov has announced his intention to resign after a wave of protests, intensifying political chaos ahead of the country's entry into the eurozone. This decision will not affect Bulgaria's entry into the eurozone on January 1.
India's aviation regulator DGCA has for the first time deployed two teams at IndiGo's office for daily monitoring after over 3,000 flight cancellations. The Delhi High Court has ordered IndiGo to compensate passengers affected by the cancellations.
An Austrian court has definitively blocked the US request for the extradition of Dmytro Firtash, concluding over a decade of legal hearings. The Higher Regional Court of Vienna confirmed that the lower court's decision is final, as prosecutors failed to meet the deadline for filing an appeal.
The US proposes to introduce mandatory checks of social media history for the past five years for visa-free travelers. This concerns citizens of 40 countries who use the ESTA electronic system and raises concerns due to the predicted drop in the number of foreign tourists.
Donald Trump announced that he successfully passed his third cognitive test with "flying colors," commenting on discussions about his age and mental faculties. He claims that few people pass this exam so well.
Polish state-owned defense company PGZ plans to increase exports of military equipment tested in Ukraine and dual-use products. The company aims to increase the share of exports and dual-use products to one-third of its revenue.
Hungary's opposition is demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and early elections after the release of a video showing physical abuse at a state-run juvenile detention center in Budapest. This incident occurred amid accusations of sexual abuse and the organization of a prostitution ring by the facility's former director.
The U. S. Department of Defense has selected Alphabet Inc.'s Gemini for Government system to provide artificial intelligence capabilities for its civilian and military personnel. This platform, known as GenAI.mil, will help the military quickly analyze video and images.
Russia is increasing oil exports, reaching the highest weekly shipments since February 2022, but unloading cargoes is becoming a problem. This has led to a 28% increase in the volume of Russian sea shipments since late August, and the surplus of oil at sea has reached a two-and-a-half-year high, limiting the Kremlin's revenues.
South African state broadcaster presenter Nonkululeko Mantula, accused of recruiting citizens to fight for Russia, has been released on bail along with four co-accused. The court rejected her request for the return of her passport, as she had repeatedly visited Russia.
Iraq's Ministry of Oil has proposed that American companies take over a controlling stake in the West Qurna-2 field, currently owned by the Russian firm Lukoil. This decision comes amid the Trump administration's favorable stance on the transfer of Russian global assets to American players.
Negotiations between the US and Ukraine on a peaceful settlement have reached a dead end due to disagreements over Donbas. Washington is looking for a way to force Kyiv to abandon the territories, while Ukraine insists on maintaining the current demarcation line.
Operations in Sudan's Heglig have ceased after the Rapid Support Forces group approached, which could interrupt oil exports from South Sudan. Heglig plays a crucial role in the pipeline network through which Sudan exports about 165,000 barrels of oil per day.
Ukraine's Universal Bank, part of Serhiy Tihipko's TAS group, held a meeting with international fixed-income investors. The meeting, organized by Morgan Stanley, could potentially allow the bank to quickly issue new bonds to the market.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that participants in peace initiative negotiations, mediated by the US, differ in opinions regarding the territorial issue. He emphasized that an agreement on the Ukrainian Donbas, including the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, has not yet been reached.
US President Donald Trump has expressed concern about Netflix's planned $72 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. He noted that the combined company's large market share could create antitrust issues.
The Swiss People's Party's plan to limit the population to 10 million people is supported by almost half of the country. The government warns that strict restrictions will harm the economy and welfare, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers.
Apple has faced a mass exodus of top managers and key engineers, including heads of AI and interface design. This is happening amid the possible departure of the chief chip architect and the outflow of AI engineers to competitors.
