A report by special prosecutor Jack Smith accuses Donald Trump of having undertaken a criminal act to seize power after his election defeat in 2020. An indictment failed due to Trump's re-election and the immunity of a sitting president. Trump is accused of obstruction of election certification, fraud and violation of voter rights. Allegations of inciting the Capitol storm were dropped due to a lack of evidence. Trump describes the investigations as politically motivated. Parts of the report remain unpublished due to ongoing proceedings.
Negotiators are close to reaching an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict. A draft agreement has been presented in Doha that provides for the release of hostages and an end to the fighting. The first phase of the deal is to free 33 Israeli hostages, including women, children and the sick, in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. The ceasefire could end the violence that has claimed more than 46,000 lives since October 2023. Donald Trump's upcoming inauguration on January 20 increases the pressure for an agreement as both sides push for a sustainable solution.
In Los Angeles, strong Santa Ana winds are threatening the containment of two major wildfires that have already claimed over 24 lives and caused massive destruction. Over 92,000 people have been evacuated. The Palisades and Eaton fires have ravaged over 37,000 acres combined, with containment at only 14% and 33% respectively. Governor Gavin Newsom calls the event one of the most devastating natural disasters in US history. Ten suspects were arrested, including an arsonist. President Biden announced additional aid, while Republicans criticized California's crisis management.
Lawsuits have halted the expansion of wind energy in Galicia: 72 of 137 projects have been blocked, mostly due to environmental concerns. Opponents criticize damage to the landscape and a lack of citizen participation. Companies such as Alcoa warn of risks to jobs. The government is planning faster approvals and modernized plants, but investors remain cautious.
The US is tightening export rules for AI chips worldwide to secure its leadership in AI technology and restrict China's access. New regulations limit the number of exportable AI chips and grant unlimited access only to close allies. Manufacturers such as Nvidia criticize the measures as “excessive”. The rules divide countries into three categories: Allies, countries with export limits and completely excluded countries such as China and Russia. Cloud providers such as Microsoft can apply for licenses to build global data centers. The regulation is intended to better control AI for national security and ethical standards.
US lawmakers are urging President Joe Biden to extend the deadline for ByteDance to complete the TikTok sale beyond January 19 to avoid a US ban. Senator Edward Markey plans to postpone the deadline by 270 days in order to preserve the platform for 170 million users and its economic importance. President-elect Donald Trump is also calling for a delay in order to seek a political solution. Without an extension, there is a threat of a download ban and gradual loss of functionality. The decision lies with the White House and the Supreme Court.
The Constitutional Court in South Korea postponed the opening of impeachment proceedings against President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday as he failed to appear. Yoon remains in his residence while an arrest warrant against him for allegedly planning an insurrection is pending. The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday; the trial will continue without Yoon's presence if he is absent again. Yoon says the warrant is invalid and refuses to cooperate. Following Yoon's brief declaration of martial law in December, South Korea is in the midst of a political crisis. At the same time, North Korea heightened tensions by testing ballistic missiles during a visit by the Japanese foreign minister to Seoul.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius made a surprise trip to Kiev to discuss further military aid for Ukraine. The aim of the trip was to send a clear signal of German support. Pistorius emphasized that Germany, as the largest NATO country, stands by Ukraine's side and that further efforts will be made to strengthen the Ukrainian arms industry. Before US President Trump takes office, there is uncertainty about future Western support for Ukraine. Trump had offered talks with Putin to end the war, which is causing concern in Kiev. In Germany, there is also a dispute over further arms deliveries, with differing opinions within the government.
Ukraine has attacked several Russian industrial facilities, including in Saratov and Engels, with drones. A fuel depot was hit again after it had already caught fire the previous week. There were no casualties.
The US government reports that there has been significant progress in negotiations on a ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza war. President Biden said that an agreement was “on the verge” of being reached. An agreement could be concluded this week, with 33 hostages to be released first. In addition, the fighting could end and humanitarian aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could be made possible. A reconstruction plan for Gaza after the end of the war is also expected.
The situation in the Gaza war remains tense. In Israel, there were recent rocket attacks from Yemen, which triggered an air raid alert, but with no reported damage or casualties. Protests against and in favor of a possible ceasefire agreement with Hamas also took place. US President Biden and his security advisor Jake Sullivan expressed confidence that such an agreement could be concluded soon. Details of the agreement, which is being brokered by Qatar, include the release of hostages, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and humanitarian aid for the region.
Amid the ongoing tensions, Ukraine has fired ATACMS missiles at the Russian city of Bryansk. Initially it was assumed that these were Storm Shadow missiles, but it was later confirmed that ATACMS were used. The main target of the attack was the Bezhitsky industrial area, where around 30 explosions were reported. Video footage shows the impacts as Russian air defense systems attempted to intercept the missiles.
Another underwater cable between Sweden, Lithuania, Germany and Finland has been damaged. A Chinese ship anchored 160 km from the coast near the cable is suspected. The Swedish investigators assume that the ship did this on purpose. The captain had been recruited by Russian secret services.
The Slovakian delegation was unable to fly to Moscow via Poland, as Poland had closed its airspace to them. As a result, the Slovaks were forced to fly to Moscow via the Czech Republic and Germany.
Official: US Republicans in Congress have drafted the “Make Greenland Great Again Act” to propose the purchase of Greenland, according to Reuters. The bill, supported by 10 members of Congress, would authorize Trump to negotiate the acquisition with Denmark.
Mass demonstrations in Romania against the incumbent authorities and in support of the candidate Călin Georgescu, who was excluded from the presidential election.
The secretary of Iran's Supreme Council for National Security, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, has made demands of the Armenian leadership that could have serious consequences if they are not met, the media reports. Iran, which has lost its support in the region in the form of Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, is concerned about security in the north, where the West is making Armenia its outpost. Ahmadian, in coordination with Azerbaijan, unequivocally called on the Armenian leadership to refrain from seeking membership in the EU and NATO, reports the media outlet, citing diplomatic sources.
The USA wants to remain the leader in AI and the corresponding chips. In order to defend this position, the government in Washington is now imposing far-reaching export restrictions on the coveted product. Apart from Germany, only the closest allies are exempt from the regulation. (NTV)
- DAX: Mix of customs, interest rate and inflation worries weigh on leading index (TAG)
- Habeck: Green candidate for chancellor wants to levy social contributions on capital income (HB)
- Housing: Home ownership rate at 15-year low (NTV)
- Uniper: German government examines sale of electricity group (NTV)
- Audi: Falls further behind BMW and Mercedes (MM)
- US unemployment rate: Falls to 4.1% according to strong labor market report (CNBC)
- China: High demand for global stocks leads to rare ETF trading halts (BBG)
- Meta & Amazon: Ending (some of their) diversity programs (AX, CNBC)
- Apple: Rejects shareholder proposal to eliminate diversity program (BBG)
- Elon Musk: Receives support from US government in lawsuit against OpenAI (RT)
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