Category: World

IDAHO FALLS — As the global energy transition accelerates in early 2026, the nuclear industry is confronting its most persistent challenge: the “nuclear ash” of spent fuel. Long considered a liability requiring millennial-scale storage, high-level radioactive waste is being reimagined as a strategic resource. Emerging Generation IV reactor designs are now moving toward commercial reality, […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Saturday, January 17, 2026, former First Lady Michelle Obama celebrated her 62nd birthday, a milestone marked by an outpouring of global affection and a heartfelt tribute from her husband, former President Barack Obama. “Happy birthday to the woman who lights up every room she walks into,” the 44th president wrote in […]

January can feel exhausting. With the magic of Christmas and New Year fading fast, returning to routine brings with it an undeniable emotional slump. But is it really the saddest month? The idea of “Blue Monday” caught on in 2005, when British psychologist Cliff Arnall announced that he had identified the saddest day of the […]

NUUK — The streets of the world’s northernmost capital were transformed into a sea of red and white on Saturday, January 17, 2026, as thousands of Greenlanders staged the largest demonstration in the nation’s history. Defying sub-zero temperatures, citizens of the self-governing territory gathered to voice a singular, defiant message to Washington: “Kalaallit Nunaat tuniniagaanngilaq”—Greenland […]

TRIPOLI — In a rare victory for human rights within Libya’s fractured security landscape, authorities successfully raided a “secret prison” on Sunday, January 18, 2026, liberating more than 200 migrants who had been held in clandestine captivity. The operation, confirmed by two senior security sources, has pulled back the curtain on the brutal shadow economy […]

BRUSSELS — Transatlantic relations faced a severe stress test on Sunday, January 18, 2026, as European Union leaders issued a defiant response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of escalating tariffs.1 The diplomatic row, centered on the Trump administration’s renewed push to purchase Greenland, has sparked fears of a trade war that could fracture the […]

TEHRAN — In a somber and rare admission of the scale of the recent violence, an Iranian official confirmed on Sunday, January 18, 2026, that the verified death toll from the country’s ongoing protests has reached at least 5,000 people. The figure, which includes approximately 500 security personnel, marks a staggering escalation in what has […]

DAVOS-KLOSTERS, Switzerland — At a juncture defined by intense geopolitical friction and a breakneck technological paradigm shift, the World Economic Forum (WEF) is set to convene its 56th Annual Meeting on Monday, January 19, 2026. Under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue,” the summit will host an unprecedented gathering of nearly 3,000 leaders from over […]

This brief provides a synthesized overview of the continent’s most critical developments across five key pillars. Africa enters 2026 at a strategic crossroads, balancing high-growth economic targets with entrenched regional security challenges. Business & Economy: Rebounds and Trade Resets The economic narrative for early 2026 is dominated by recovery in major markets and a pivot […]

Displacement on the Nigerian Lagoon: The Human Cost of Makoko’s Demolition LAGOS — The skyline of Africa’s largest megacity is a study in contrasts, but nowhere is the tension between modern ambition and humanitarian reality more acute than in Makoko. As the Lagos State Government intensifies its January 2026 demolition exercise, the narrative has shifted […]