World News

**_Summary_**

A Paris court sentenced Zaheer Mahmood, a 29-year-old Pakistani national, to 30 years in prison for a 2020 Islamist knife attack near Charlie Hebdo's former offices, injuring two.

Mahmood mistakenly believed he was targeting the magazine's staff, unaware they had relocated after the 2015 terrorist attack that killed 12 people.

Radicalized in France by an extremist preacher, Mahmood acted after Charlie Hebdo republished cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

Five accomplices were also convicted, receiving 3-12 years in prison.

Summary

Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack involving over 100 drones, reportedly hitting a Russian oil refinery in Ryazan and targeting Moscow.

Verified footage shows a fireball at the Ryazan site. Russia claimed to have intercepted 121 drones across 13 regions, denying significant damage.

Ukraine also alleged strikes on the Kremniy plant in Bryansk, which it says produces weapons components.

The Israeli government is seeking to keep military positions in southern Lebanon past a Sunday withdrawal deadline, set in a November ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, the country’s ambassador to the US said on Thursday.

The Israeli military invaded southern Lebanon on October 1 – the culmination of a yearlong, low-level war with Hezbollah, which attacked Israeli-~~held~~ occupied territory on October 8, 2023, in solidarity with ~~Hamas~~. Palestinians

The Israeli government has told US President Donald Trump’s administration that it wants Israeli troops to remain in Lebanon for at least an additional 30 days, an Israeli official told CNN. The Israeli security cabinet met Thursday night to discuss the issue.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/53502163

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a message of support Thursday for Elon Musk after the world’s richest man was accused of making a Nazi salute.

Musk “is being falsely smeared,” Netanyahu wrote on X, the social media platform owned by Musk. “Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre… [and] has since repeatedly and forcefully supported Israel’s right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and regimes who seek to annihilate the one and only Jewish state.”

Musk later thanked Netanyahu.

A 47-YEAR-OLD woman was killed in a tiger attack at Priyadarshini Estate at Mananthavady village in Wayanad district on Friday morning, sparking intense protests by locals in the area.....

Summary

In a virtual speech at the World Economic Forum, Trump suggested Canada could become a U.S. state to avoid his proposed tariffs on imports.

The remark elicited gasps from the audience.

Trump claimed the U.S. does not need Canadian lumber, energy, or vehicles, vastly overstating the trade deficit between the two nations.

He reiterated his intention to impose tariffs, potentially as high as 25%, on imports from Canada and Mexico starting February 1.

Economists warn such tariffs would raise prices for U.S. consumers.

Summary

UNICEF reported that 242 million children in 85 countries had their education disrupted in 2024 due to extreme weather, including heatwaves, cyclones, flooding, and droughts.

One in seven school-aged children globally missed school, with low-income nations in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa most affected.

Heatwaves were the leading cause, impacting 118 million children in April alone.

Flooding and storms destroyed hundreds of schools, particularly in Pakistan, Mozambique, and Afghanistan.

UNICEF highlighted that schools are poorly equipped to handle climate crises, disproportionately affecting children in vulnerable regions.

“If the United States were to cut itself off from China, it will be very damaging for the US economy and for American citizens,” PM Wong told students at a dialogue on Jan 21.

He added that much of what the US manufactures, produces and imports comes from China.

“I can’t see how a full decoupling can happen at this stage,” PM Wong said.

Thousands took to the streets Thursday to protest the killing of two children in an attempted carjacking in Mexico’s troubled northwestern state of Sinaloa.

Mothers and children in school uniforms were among those calling for an end to months of cartel violence that has at times closed schools and businesses in the state capital, Culiacan.

Andre Correa do Lago, who will preside over the first climate conference in the Amazon rainforest in November, praised China's "extraordinary progress" in combatting climate change.

"By reducing the price of solar panels and of electric cars, China is giving infinitely more support to the developing world (on climate change) than if it were just providing symbolic amounts (of aid), which is what the developed countries want," the seasoned climate expert told journalists in Brasilia.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/53472470

• The Brazilian diplomat who will chair the next United Nations climate summit praised China on Thursday (Jan 23) as an example in the fight against climate change while admonishing rich countries for shirking their responsibilities.

• By reducing the price of solar panels and of electric cars, China is giving infinitely more support to the developing world (on climate change) than if it were just providing symbolic amounts (of aid), which is what the developed countries want.

Summary

Hungary is expected to back down from its threat to block the EU’s renewal of sanctions on Russia after Donald Trump warned Moscow of harsher penalties if it continues the war in Ukraine.

Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, critical of sanctions for harming the EU economy, had tied Hungary's stance to Trump’s approach.

By Thursday, diplomats noted Hungary’s softened rhetoric, signaling likely approval at Friday’s EU meeting.

Blocking the sanctions could release frozen Russian funds and undermine EU energy security, risking repercussions for Hungary’s own EU funding.

US President Donald Trump told world business leaders on Thursday to manufacture in the United States or face tariffs, in his first major speech to global leaders since returning to the White House this week. ... “Come make your product in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on earth,” Trump said today, speaking remotely to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

“But if you don’t make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then very simply you will have to pay a tariff,” he added.

A Hong Kong tourist has been killed in Japan after being hit by a train while reportedly taking photographs standing on the line.

The woman was standing on railway tracks to take photos of the sea before being hit by a train in Otaru city in Hokkaido on Thursday, Xinhua news agency said, citing Japanese media.

Summary

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized Donald Trump's executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America."

Sheinbaum stated that while Trump can refer to the American part of the body of water as the Gulf of America, the rest of the world will continue to refer to it as the Gulf of Mexico.

Trump signed the order on Jan. 20, 2025, following his inaugural promise, citing the Gulf's importance to the U.S. economy. Sheinbaum emphasized Mexico’s stance on territorial integrity.

This follows Trump’s recent controversial foreign policy ideas, including proposing Canada as a U.S. state, acquiring Greenland, and considering military action to reclaim the Panama Canal.

Summary

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez claimed tech billionaires are using social media to undermine democracy by exploiting algorithms to spread disinformation and manipulate society for personal agendas.

He criticized platforms for fostering division, undermining democratic processes, and concentrating power among elites.

Sánchez proposed EU regulations, including requiring digital identification for social media users and holding platform owners accountable under the Digital Services Act.

He also condemned Elon Musk and Peter Thiel for promoting reactionary and anti-democratic ideas, urging Europe to counter the "tech caste."