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Antonio Guterres appears to take aim at the US, which recently slashed its contribution, telling the UN to ‘adapt or die’.
Published On 15 Jan 202615 Jan 2026
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United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has lashed out at world leaders he accused of turning their backs on international cooperation amid “self-defeating geopolitical divides” and “brazen violations of international law”.
Addressing the UN General Assembly on Thursday, the UN secretary-general slammed “wholesale cuts in development and humanitarian aid”, warning that they were “shaking the foundations of global cooperation and testing the resilience of multilateralism itself”.
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“At a time when we need international cooperation the most, we seem to be the least inclined to use it and invest in it. Some seek to put international cooperation on deathwatch,” he said.
Last annual speech
The secretary-general, who will step down at the end of 2026, held off naming offending countries, but appeared to refer to deep cuts to the budgets of UN agencies made by the United States under the “America First” policies of US President Donald Trump.
While other countries have also cut funding, the US announced at the end of last year that it would be allocating only $2bn to United Nations humanitarian assistance, representing a small fraction of the leading funder’s previous contributions of up to $17bn.
Trump’s administration has effectively dismantled its primary platform for foreign aid, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), calling on UN agencies to “adapt, shrink or die”.
Setting out his last annual list of priorities as secretary-general for the year ahead, Guterres said the UN was “totally committed in the cause of peace in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and far beyond and tireless in delivering life-saving aid to those so desperate for support”.
The UN chief insisted humanitarian aid be allowed to “flow unimpeded” into Gaza, said no effort should be spared to stop the Russia-Ukraine war, and urged a resumption of talks to bring about a lasting ceasefire in Sudan.
Those three deadly, protracted conflicts have come to define Guterres’s time at the helm of the UN, with critics arguing the organisation has proved ineffective at conflict prevention.
The organisation’s top decision-making body, the Security Council, is paralysed because of tensions between the US, Russia and China, all three of which are permanent, veto-wielding members.
The Trump administration has announced its ceasefire plan for Gaza is now in ‘Phase Two’, following 27 months of death, displacement and destruction in Israel’s genocide.
After threatening to attack Iran for days in support of protesters challenging the government in Tehran, United States President Donald Trump appeared to dial back the rhetoric on Wednesday evening.
The killings in Iran, Trump said, had stopped, adding that Tehran had told his administration that arrested protesters would not be executed.
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Trump did not rule out an attack on Iran, but in effect, negated the rationale for such an attack.
Still, as Trump closes in on the completion of the first year of his second term in office, his track record suggests the possibility of US military strikes against Iran in the coming days remains a real threat.
We take a look:
Maduro abducted – amid diplomacy and limited strikes
Since August, the US had positioned its largest military deployment in the Caribbean Sea in decades.
The US military bombed more than 30 boats that it claimed – without providing evidence – were carrying drugs to the United States, killing more than 100 people in these strikes. For months, Trump and his team accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of leading mass-scale narcotics smuggling operations, again without evidence. Amid the boat bombings, Trump even said that the US might strike Venezuelan land next.
But in late November, Trump revealed to reporters that he had spoken to the Venezuelan leader. A few days later, the call was confirmed by Maduro himself, who described it as “cordial”.
The US then hit what Trump described as a docking facility for alleged drug boats in Venezuela. After that, on January 1, Maduro offered Trump an olive branch, saying he was open to talks with Washington on drug trafficking and even on enabling US access to oil. Trump appeared to be getting what he ostensibly wanted – access to Venezuelan oil and blocks on drugs from the country.
Yet only hours later, US forces targeted the capital, abducting Maduro and his wife on charges of narcotics trafficking and transporting them to the United States.
Iran bombed – when ‘two weeks’ of diplomacy appeared imminent
Venezuela was not the first time Trump launched a dramatic attack at a time when diplomacy appeared to be taking hold.
In June, Iran learned the hard way that Trump’s words and actions do not match.
Amid rising tensions over US accusations that Iran was racing towards enriching uranium for nuclear weapons, Washington and Tehran engaged in weeks of hectic negotiations. Trump frequently warned Iran that time was running out for it to strike a deal, but then returned to talks.
On June 13, he wrote on Truth Social that his team “remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue.”
His “entire” administration, he said, had been “directed to negotiate with Iran”.
But barely hours later, US ally Israel struck Iran. Most experts believe Israel would not have attacked Iran without Trump’s approval.
As Israel and Iran traded fire in the subsequent days, Trump faced questions over whether the US would bomb Iran.
On June 20, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt quoted Trump as saying that he would “make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks”.
Far from utilising the full two weeks he gave himself, Trump made his decision in two days.
In the early hours of June 22, US B-2 Spirit bombers dropped fourteen bunker-busting bombs on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility, buried deep inside a mountain near Qom. The US also bombed nuclear facilities in Natanz and Isfahan using the most powerful conventional bombs in the US arsenal.
The attack shocked many observers, in part because of what appeared to have been an elaborate diplomatic ruse preceding it.
Iran protest calculus: What’s Trump’s plan?
Now, all eyes are on Iran again, where demonstrations against the government have been under way for the past two weeks, before calming down earlier this week.
As the unrest turned deadlier last week, Trump urged Iranians to continue demonstrating.
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!… HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on January 13, without elaborating on what form that help might take.
But within 24 hours, during a meeting with reporters in Washington, DC, Trump said he had been assured that the killing of protesters in Iran had stopped.
“They’ve said the killing has stopped and the executions won’t take place – there were supposed to be a lot of executions today, and that the executions won’t take place – and we’re going to find out,” Trump said on Wednesday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in an interview with Fox TV, also denied that Tehran planned to execute antigovernment protesters. “Hanging is out of the question,” he said.
Which other countries is Trump threatening?
Beyond Iran and Venezuela, longstanding US rivals, Trump’s aggression has increasingly extended towards Washington’s own allies, including Canada and Greenland.
The most striking example is Trump’s eagerness to take over Greenland, a Danish territory, which has evolved from a campaign talking point into a focal element of his administration’s Western Hemisphere strategy.
On January 5, the State Department posted a black-and-white image of Trump on social media, declaring: “This is OUR Hemisphere, and President Trump will not allow our security to be threatened.”
The president has refused to rule out the use of military force, with administration officials openly discussing US interest in Greenland’s strategic location and mineral resources.
Denmark has categorically rejected any sale, while Greenland’s leadership insists the territory is not for sale.
But experts such as Jeremy Shapiro, research director at the European Council on Foreign Relations, argue that Trump uses threats to intimidate adversaries and typically employs force only against weaker targets.
In a paper published last May titled, The bully’s pulpit: Finding patterns in Trump’s use of military force, Shapiro suggested that Trump frequently invokes military threats but often fails to follow through.
According to Shapiro, Trump is more likely to act when threats carry “low escalation risk”, while threats against nuclear-armed or militarily strong states largely serve rhetorical purposes. The most extreme or theatrical warnings, he argues, tend to function as tools of “political signalling rather than precursors to real military action”.
“Trump often deploys grandiose threats but only accepts limited, low-risk military operations. He uses foreign policy as political theatre, aiming threats as much at his domestic base and media cycle as at foreign adversaries,” Shapiro writes.
Calculated unpredictability?
Some analysts believe Trump’s approach offers tactical advantages.
“The intent is to keep opponents off balance, heightening psychological pressure and extracting maximum strategic leverage,” a Pakistani government official told Al Jazeera, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. “Even his European allies are not always certain what to expect.”
Others remain sceptical. Qandil Abbas, a specialist on Middle East affairs at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, described Trump’s behaviour as erratic, citing his repeated threats against multiple countries.
“Look at his threats against Cuba, or Iran, or Venezuela, and yet this is the same president who also wants to win a Nobel prize and is desperate for it,” Abbas told Al Jazeera.
So is Trump actually pulling back from the prospect of attacking Iran – or is he bluffing?
According to Abbas, Trump’s apparent change in tone might be the result of feedback from US allies in the region “that attacking Iran is not smart”.
Still, Abbas said that “with Israel’s support, I feel he will find a way to strike the country.”
West Sussex is among the councils requesting an elections delay
More than a third of eligible councils in England have asked to postpone their elections due in May, affecting more than 2.5 million voters.
The government is carrying out a major overhaul of local government structures.
Twenty-five councils want to postpone their ballots to help deliver that reorganisation – but opposition parties say Labour is “running scared” of voters.
Most wanting a delay are Labour-led, but two are Conservative-led and one is Liberal Democrat. Some of the councils that have asked for a delay are run by more than one party, or independents.
Last month ministers told 63 local authorities they would authorise delays to the polls if there were “genuine concerns” about delivering them alongside the government’s overhaul of local government.
So far, 25 have requested a delay, 34 have not and four are yet to confirm their position.
Elections would be postponed for a year with the expectation they would take place in 2027.
Ministers are expected to approve the requests in the coming days.
The BBC contacted the 63 councils who could request a delay to their May elections to ask for their decision.
The government’s rejig of local government will replace the two-tier system of district and county councils that exists in many parts of England with new ‘unitary’ councils responsible for delivering all councils services in their area.
It means some of the councils up for election this year will be folded into new unitary councils in 2027 or 2028, so councillors could only be in office for a year.
Ministers say their reorganisation of local council will be the biggest in a generation, removing duplication and simplifying local government.
Writing for The Times, Local Government Secretary Steve Reed said: “Running a series of elections for short-lived zombie councils will be costly, time consuming and will take scarce resources away from front-line services like fixing pot holes and social care.”
The Conservatives and the Lib Dems have both criticised Labour’s decision to allow elections to be postponed, whilst Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice told the BBC that authorities wanting a delay were “terrified” his party would win.
Conservative shadow local government secretary accused Labour of “running scared of voters,” with the government struggling in the polls.
“We are clear that these elections should go ahead. Ministers should treat voters with respect instead of disdain, stop undermining our democratic system and let the people of this country make their own decisions,” he added.
Council protests
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who has previously suggested delaying elections breached human rights, called for a change in the law so “ministers cannot simply delay elections at the stroke of a pen”.
He said: “Both Labour and the Conservatives are running scared of the electorate, allowing councillors to serve terms of up to seven years without a democratic mandate.”
Despite their parties’ official positions, the Conservative leaders of West Sussex, and East Sussex County Councils, and the Liberal Democrat controlled Cheltenham Borough Council are among those requesting a delay.
Protests erupted at some councils over decisions to ask for a delay, with police called to a meeting in Redditch where the Labour-run district council in Worcestershire discussed asking for a postponement.
Some councils have yet to announce their decision.
The Conservative leader of Essex County Council told the government there was “huge strain on our systems” on top of the planned restructure.
But he said it was up to the government whether this year’s elections would go ahead, and said he would not call for a delay.
Here is the full list of councils have said they want to postpone their elections.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
There are new indications that the U.S. may be edging closer to a new round of attacks or other actions against Iran. In a social media message addressed to Iranian protesters, U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that he has cut off any further negotiations with government officials there, urged the massive nationwide demonstrations to continue, and implied future U.S. intervention. The comments made by Trump, who has previously vowed to take action against Iran if the crackdown on protesters grew too bloody, came as reports have emerged that as many as 20,000 people have been killed by the regime.
You can catch up with our previous coverage of the unfolding eventshere.
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!,” Trump proclaimed on his Truth Social platform in response to the increasingly bloody crackdown. “Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”
Trump ended his posting with “MIGA!!!,” or Make Iran Great Again, a play on his famous campaign slogan. He provided no further details. The White House referred us to Truth Social when we asked for more information. U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, declined to comment on whether there has been any new tasking or change in force posture ordered by the White House.
The president’s latest statement on the anti-government protests raging since Dec. 28 came as his national security principals met to discuss the situation, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Trump did not attend, she added.
In an Air Force One gaggle a few moments ago, Press Sec Karoline Leavitt said that POTUS did *not* attend the national security briefing meeting, though Rubio and other principals were there
Described it as a routine/regularly scheduled meeting in comments to reporters
The U.S. leader’s options for a response “include ordering military strikes on regime sites or launching cyberattacks, approving new sanctions and boosting anti-regime accounts online,” The Wall Street Journal suggested. Trump took the first step, ordering that any nation doing business with Iran would be hit with a 25% tariff.
“Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America. This Order is final and conclusive….” – PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP pic.twitter.com/UQ1ylPezs9
The social media posting also comes a day after the White House said that while Trump preferred a diplomatic solution to the crisis, he is “unafraid to use the lethal force and might of the United States military. Iranian officials, Trump noted on Sunday, had called him seeking negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programs.
Press Sec Leavitt on Iran: “The greatest leverage the regime had just several months ago was their nuclear program, which President Trump and the United States military totally obliterated… What President Trump will do next only he knows.” pic.twitter.com/SaqGhnQFyL
As we discussed yesterday, and it still holds true today, we have seen no indications of major U.S. military movements that would typically be seen prior to a major offensive or defensive military operation in the region.
Behind the scenes, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met with exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi to discuss the situation, Axios reported. Pahlavi, whose fatally ill father, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fled Iran ahead of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has helped spark the uprising from afar.
🚨🇺🇸🇮🇷Scoop: White House envoy Steve Witkoff met secretly over the weekend with the exiled former crown prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, to discuss the protests raging in Iran, according to a senior U.S. official. My story on @axioshttps://t.co/ZSCzEVwjgf
For its part, Israel is getting close to deciding whether it should attack Iran, a senior IDF official told us. He spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational details. Israel, which fought a 12-day war against Iran in June, remains concerned about the large supply of short-range ballistic and cruise missiles that Tehran did not use during that conflict.
“There is persistent concern regarding potential Iranian retaliation, alongside indications of Israeli preventive activity related to Iran,” the official told us. “All of this is taking place under an exceptionally high level of secrecy, making the full picture difficult to assess. What can be said with confidence is that IDF aircraft and all relevant operational elements are at the highest level of readiness, awaiting a political decision. In my assessment, the moment of decision is closer than ever.”
A senior IDF official tells us Israel’s military has moved to the highest state of readiness in recent days amid the turmoil in Iran. (IAF) IAF
Any action Israel may decide to take “would be carried out exclusively in full coordination with the Trump administration and CENTCOM,” the official added. “The military coordination mechanisms between Israel and the United States are exceptionally strong and continuous, particularly given the presence of senior CENTCOM leadership and coordination elements in Israel. This ensures close operational alignment and real-time information sharing.”
Officially, the IDF is downplaying its potential role in the ongoing unrest.
“In recent days, many rumors have spread against the backdrop of the situation in Iran,” IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin posted on X Monday. “As was clarified previously, the IDF is prepared for defense and on alert for surprise scenarios if required. The protests in Iran are an internal matter. We continue to conduct ongoing situation assessments and will update on any changes if and when they occur. I emphasize – do not lend a hand to rumors.”
ביממות האחרונות נפוצו שמועות רבות על רקע המצב באיראן. כפי שהובהר בעבר, צה״ל ערוך בהגנה ונמצא בכוננות לתרחישי הפתעה במידה ויידרש. המחאות באיראן הן עניין פנימי.
אנחנו ממשיכים לקיים הערכות מצב שוטפות ונדע לעדכן בכל שינוי אם ויהיה. אני מדגיש – אל תתנו יד לשמועות
— דובר צה״ל אפי דפרין – Effie Defrin (@IDFSpokesperson) January 12, 2026
As Washington and Jerusalem mull over whether to strike, more horrific videos and images of the bloody response to the demonstrations are pouring in.
One video purports to show demonstrators coming under fire in Mashhad.
Other videos show huge throngs of people on the streets in Tehran.
The Independent Persian says they’ve been sent this footage reported to show protests in Tehran tonight.
Text on the footage says: “Massive crowd of protesters in Tehran on the sixteenth day (today) of the National Revolution.”
The number of those killed so far varies from about 2,000, according to Iranian government figures, to at least more than 12,000, according to CBS News.
“With phone lines opening back up for calls from inside the Islamic Republic, two sources, including one inside Iran, told CBS News on Tuesday that at least 12,000, and possibly as many as 20,000 people have been killed,” the network stated.
The War Zone cannot independently verify these figures.
A source inside Iran who was able to call out told CBS News on Tuesday that activist groups working to compile a full death toll from the protests, based on reports from medical officials across the country, believed the toll was at least 12,000, and possibly as high as 20,000.…
Iran International, an opposition media outlet, claims that the killings have been carried out in an organized manner by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij paramilitary forces it commands.
“Based on information received, those killed were mainly shot by forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij. This killing was fully organized, not the result of “sporadic” and “unplanned” clashes.” https://t.co/6oDbllwPp2
During his speech at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump repeated comments he made earlier to reporters that while he is getting a wide range of figures on the number of people killed, “one is a lot.”
Reporter: How many protesters have been killed in Iran?
Trump: Nobody has been able to give me an accurate number. Everything is a lot. One is a lot. We will probably find out in the next 24 hours. I think it is a lot. pic.twitter.com/fvVVVbZWrK
Information about events inside Iran is flowing even though officials there have cut off internet and phone service, including trying to jam Starlink receivers, as we noted yesterday.
⚠️ Update: #Iran has now been offline for 120 hours.
Despite some phone calls now connecting, there is no secure way to communicate and the general public remain cut off from the outside world.
What footage makes it through shows extensive use of force against civilians 📵 pic.twitter.com/GLPtVx6yrX
On Tuesday, the regime posted a video claiming to show dozens of Starlink receivers it has confiscated. Iran has also been hunting down Starlink operators, according to The Wall Street Journal. Possession of these systems is illegal in Iran. We reached out to Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, which operates Starlink, for more details.
⚡️BREAKING
Iran has just announced the seizure of a huge shipment of Starlink
Since June 2025, possession of Starlink in Iran has been subject to espionage laws pic.twitter.com/zDgHz8Kxgv
The crackdown on protests is garnering growing international condemnation.
European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the organization will propose new sanctions against Iran.
“The rising number of casualties in Iran is horrifying,” she exclaimed on X. “I unequivocally condemn the excessive use of force and continued restriction of freedom. The European Union has already listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in its entirety under its human rights sanctions regime. …further sanctions on those responsible for the repression will be swiftly proposed. We stand with the people of Iran who are bravely marching for their liberty.”
The rising number of casualties in Iran is horrifying. I unequivocally condemn the excessive use of force and continued restriction of freedom.
The European Union has already listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in its entirety under its human rights sanctions regime.…
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday said the regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appears to be finished as mass protests continue across the country.
“If a regime can only keep itself in power by force, then it’s effectively at the end. I believe we are now seeing the final days and weeks of this regime,” Merz said during a visit to India.
Germany’s Merz Says Iran’s Leadership Is In Its ‘Last Days & Weeks’ | N18G | CNBC TV18
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle talked with TWZ and other outlets about his service’s directed energy weapon plans at a roundtable at the Surface Navy Association’s (SNA) annual symposium earlier today. Caudle has long been an outspoken proponent of directed energy capabilities.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle, seen here speaking at an event in 2025. USN
“My thesis research at [the] Naval Post Graduate School was on directed energy and nuclear weapons,” Caudle said. “This is my goal, if it’s in line of sight of a ship, that the first solution that we’re using is directed energy.”
In particular, “point defense needs to shift to directed energy,” the admiral added. “It has an infinite magazine.”
When it comes to point defense for its ships, the Navy currently relies heavily on Mk 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems armed with six-barrel 20mm M61 Vulcan rotary cannons and launchers for RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM). Each Phalanx has enough ammunition to fire for a total of around 30 seconds, at most at the lower of two rate-of-fire settings, before needing to be reloaded. RAM launchers available today can hold either 11 or 21 missiles at a time, and the latest versions of those missiles cost around $1 million each. Many ships across the Navy also have 5-inch or 57mm main guns, and/or 30mm automatic cannons, which can also be used against close-in threats.
Phalanx CIWS Close-in Weapon System In Action – US Navy’s Deadly Autocannon
“What that does for me is it improves my loadout optimization, so that my loadout, my payload volume is optimized for offensive weapons,” Caudle said of adding new directed energy weapons, and lasers in particular. Furthermore, “as you increase power, the actual ability to actually engage and keep power on target, and the effectiveness of a laser just goes up.”
HELIOS is a 60-kilowatt class design, which is powerful enough to destroy or at least damage certain targets, such as drones or small boats. Its beam can also be used as a ‘dazzler’ to blind optical sensors and seekers. Those same optics could be damaged or destroyed in the process, as well. Manufacturer Lockheed Martin has talked in the past about the possibility of scaling HELIOS’ power up to 150 kilowatts.
The Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Preble seen testing its HELIOS system. US Military
The exact power-rating for ODIN is unclear, but it is understood to be lower than that of HELIOS. ODIN can only be employed as a ‘dazzler,’ though the system also has a secondary surveillance capability.
An ODIN system, seen here on the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Stockdale. USN
The Navy has tested more experimental laser directed energy weapons on other warships in the past. The most recent known example of this was the integration of a 150-kilowatt design called the Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) Mk 2 Mod 0 onto the San Antonio class amphibious warfare ship USS Portland in 2019. The LWSD Mk 2 Mod 0 has since been removed from that ship. The Navy just released a picture yesterday showing it at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division’s (NSWC PHD) Directed Energy Systems Integration Laboratory (DESIL) at Naval Base Ventura County at Point Mugu in California.
USS Portland (LPD 27) tests LWSD laser system
A picture of the LWSD Mk 2 Mod 0 at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division’s (NSWC PHD) Directed Energy Systems Integration Laboratory (DESIL). This picture was released yesterday, but was taken in 2025. USN
Higher-powered laser directed energy weapons in the 300 to 600 kilowatt classes are also in the Navy’s publicly stated plans, with a focus on improving shipboard defense against incoming cruise missiles. The service has said that each one of the future Trump class large surface combatants could be armed with two 300-kilowatt lasers, as well as a pair of 600-kilowatt types, along with four ODINs. It’s also worth noting here that the Navy has not ruled out using nuclear propulsion on these ships, which could help meet power generation requirements. You can read more about what is known about the design of those ships here.
Details the Navy has previously released regarding the expected capabilities of the Trump class warships. USN via USNI News
“You know, we have continuous electron beam, free electron lasers today that can scale to megawatt-plus, gigawatt-plus” power-ratings, Caudle noted today. “I’m telling you that I don’t think a one-megawatt laser is beyond what should be on that battery [on the Trump class].”
A megawatt is 1,000 kilowatts, meaning a weapon in that category would be exponentially more powerful than HELIOS. A gigawatt is 1,000 megawatts. Megawatt-class laser weapon developments have historically focused in large part on the ballistic missile defense mission set.
“We were heavy into this with the Strategic Defense Initiative,” Caudle said, referring to the abortive Cold War-era missile defense program, also nicknamed “Star Wars,” which began under President Ronald Reagan. “We were really into high powered lasers, and we just basically – there was no business case for people to be out there working [on it] … so I don’t think we devoted the actual industrial might and the brain power across academia and think tanks and other places that generate this type of outcome toward directed energy in an effective way, so that we have taken it seriously. So now’s the time.”
Artwork depicting a space-based directed energy capability as part of the Strategic Defense Initiative. US Military
“We’ve got to have different lasers, I think, going forward on the battleship to make them effective,” the Navy’s top officer added. “Laser power is not the issue. It’s the form factor. It’s the engineering of the power to get the density of that in a shipboard design. That’s the challenge.”
Caudle did highlight other ongoing hurdles facing laser directed energy weapon developments at the roundtable today.
“The targeting is always a challenge when you’re in a high-moisture environment, because the optics are critical to lasers,” he noted. Lasers are sensitive to various environmental factors that can break up a beam and reduce its effectiveness.
The beam’s power also drops as it gets further away from the source, just as a result of propagating through the atmosphere. More power is then required to generate effects at greater distances. Just ensuring the reliability of laser directed energy weapons with their sensitive optics is a challenge that is further magnified in a shipboard context by saltwater exposure and rough sea states. All of this, combined with the thermal cooling and power demands, have challenged the U.S. military’s ability to field directed energy weapons at greater scale at sea, as well as on land and in the air.
As Caudle highlighted today, the capabilities that laser weapon systems promise to offer are in high demand for ships amid ever-growing drone and missile threats. Advanced warships, particularly large ones like the Trump class, may be heavily protected, but are also high-value targets. As such, having added layers of defense with largely unconstrained magazine depth – as long as there is sufficient power and cooling in the case of direct energy weapons – would be advantageous.
A model of the Trump class warship design on display at the Surface Navy Association’s (SNA) 2026 annual symposium, Eric Tegler
“These things are based on renewable energy, so I can recharge the system … I don’t have to worry about payload [or] volume with directed energy,” Caudle, then commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, said at last year’s SNA conference. “All those things are appealing to a navy, [but] we just haven’t really matriculated that into a place … that’s ready for prime time.”
He added then that the Navy should have been “embarrassed” about the progress it had made by that point, or the lack thereof, in fielding directed energy capabilities.
As mentioned, the development of high-powered microwave directed energy weapons is another area where the Navy has been making major investments. The main focus of those projects is again on expanding shipboard defense against incoming cruise missiles, as well as drones. In line with Caudle’s comments today, the Navy has previously said its pursuit of microwave-based systems is directly tied to loadout optimization, though in terms of defensive rather than offensive capabilities. The service sees these directed energy weapons as critical to helping warships keep higher-end surface-to-air missiles in reserve for use against threats they might be better optimized for, especially anti-ship ballistic missiles. Of course, directed energy weapons, whether they are laser or microwave-based, could also allow for further remixing of missile loadouts and other changes that would give current and future ships more offensive magazine depth.
A screen capture from a 2019 Chinese state television report showing a laser weapon said to be under development for the People’s Liberation Army Navy. CCTV-7 capture via Jane’s
“I’ll take what I can get, and then, like anything else, we can evolve that,” the Chief of Naval Operations said today of ongoing work on directed energy weapons.
Whether a megawatt-class laser weapon is added to the arsenal of the future Trump class remains to be seen. The Navy’s top officer has issued a new and clear call to action to put directed energy capabilities front and center when it comes to defending ships against close-in threats like missiles and drones. At the same time, Navy officials have made similar pushes in the past, and there have been persistent challenges in turning that vision into a reality.
A federal officer in the United States has shot a Venezuelan man in the leg in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Officials say officers had tried to stop a car to arrest the man and opened fire after two people attacked one of them with a “snow shovel and broom handle”.
Protests broke out in the city after the incident.
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list of 4 itemsend of list
Wednesday’s shooting comes exactly a week after a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed local resident Renee Nicole Good in her car in Minneapolis during an immigration raid.
What happened?
In an X post on Wednesday, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wrote that at 6:50pm (00:50 GMT on Thursday), federal law enforcement officers were stopping “an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by [former President] Joe Biden in 2022”.
The DHS added that the man had tried to evade the officers, crashing his car into another parked car and then fleeing on foot. It said one of the officers caught up with the immigrant on foot “when the subject began to resist and violently assault the officer”.
The department’s post said that while the immigrant and the officer were struggling on the ground, two people came out of a nearby apartment and began to strike the officer with a snow shovel and a broomstick. It further said, “The original subject got loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broom stick.”
“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life. The initial subject was hit in the leg,” the DHS wrote.
It added that the immigrant and the two people who had come out of the apartment ran back inside the apartment and barricaded themselves in.
The immigrant and officer who was attacked were taken to hospital, and the other two people who attacked the officer are in custody, DHS wrote.
Who was Renee Nicole Good and what happened to her last week?
On the morning of January 7, Jonathan Ross, an ICE officer, fatally shot Good while she was in her car in Minneapolis.
Local officials said Good, 37, was acting as a legal observer during protests against US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Legal observers are usually volunteers who attend protests to watch police-demonstrator interactions and record any confrontations or possible legal violations.
Good’s killing sparked outrage and protests in Minnesota and nationwide.
In a joint statement released after she was shot dead, Minneapolis City Council President Elliot Payne and council members wrote: “Renee was a resident of our city who was out caring for her neighbors this morning and her life was taken today at the hands of the federal government. Anyone who kills someone in our city deserves to be arrested, investigated, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
After Good was shot, the Republican Trump administration clashed with local authorities, including Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
Trump and administration officials claimed that Good had deliberately hit the ICE officer with her SUV and he had shot her in self-defence.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described Good’s actions as “domestic terrorism”.
She said Good had refused to obey orders to get out of her car, “weaponise[d] her vehicle” and “attempted to run” over the officer. Minnesota officials disputed Noem’s account, citing videos showing Good trying to drive away.
Footage from the incident shows Good’s car slowly reversing and then trying to move forwards. As the car moves forwards, an agent is seen walking around in front of it. He opens fire while standing in front of the driver’s side of the SUV.
Speaking about the shooting on Wednesday, Trump told the Reuters news agency: “I don’t get into right or wrong. I know that it was a tough situation to be in. There was very little respect shown to the police, in this case, the ICE officers.”
What have local authorities said about the latest shooting?
Walz wrote in an X post on Wednesday that state investigators have been to the scene of the shooting.
“I know you’re angry. I’m angry. What Donald Trump wants is violence in the streets,” Walz wrote.
“But Minnesota will remain an island of decency, of justice, of community, and of peace. Don’t give him what he wants.”
In a series of posts on X on Wednesday, Frey wrote: “No matter what led up to this incident, the situation we are seeing in our city is not sustainable.”
He added that there are 600 local police officers working in Minneapolis, and the Trump administration has sent in 3,000 federal officers.
“I have seen conduct from ICE that is intolerable. And for anyone taking the bait tonight, stop. It is not helpful. We cannot respond to Donald Trump’s chaos with our own chaos.”
What is ICE doing in Minnesota?
The DHS launched Operation Metro Surge, which includes Minneapolis, in December. The Trump administration said the operation aims to root out and arrest criminals and undocumented immigrants.
The Trump administration escalated its immigration operation in Minneapolis on January 6. In an X post, ICE announced it planned to deploy 2,000 additional agents to the northern Midwestern city.
“A 100% chance of ICE in the Twin Cities – our largest operation to date,” the post said, referring to Minneapolis and the adjacent city of St Paul.
Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, told local news media that ICE is “surging to Minneapolis to root out fraud, arrest perpetrators and remove criminal illegal aliens”.
On Monday, the state of Minnesota filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the operation is an unconstitutional “federal invasion”.
The population of Minnesota is more than 5 million people, and according to numbers from the Migration Policy Institute from 2023, the number of undocumented immigrants in the state is 100,000.
Republicans have made disparaging remarks particularly targeting the state’s Somali population.
“Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status,” Noem said in a statement. “Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first.”
In December, ICE launched a raid in Columbus, Ohio, which also has a large Somali population. In late November, ICE agents were deployed in New Orleans, Louisiana. Similar raids were launched in Charlotte, North Carolina, the same month.
How many Venezuelan immigrants are in the US?
As of 2023, there were about 770,000 Venezuelan immigrants in the United States, making up just under 2 percent of the country’s 47.8 million foreign-born population, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
The institute estimated that in 2023, 486,000 Venezuelan immigrants were not authorised to be in the US, accounting for 4 percent of a total of 13.7 million unauthorised immigrants.
Since 2014, about 7.7 million Venezuelans, comprising 20 percent of the population, have left the country, mostly to seek better opportunities abroad as the economy has faltered and the government has cracked down on the political opposition. While the vast majority have moved to neighbouring countries, some have gone to the US.
On January 3, US forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the Trump administration describes as a “narcoterrorist”. He currently faces charges related to weapons and drug trafficking in New York.
During a national address on January 3, Trump stated: “Maduro sent savage and murderous gangs, including the bloodthirsty prison gang, Tren de Aragua, to terrorise American communities nationwide.”
However, several US intelligence agencies have rejected the claim that Trump has repeatedly made that Maduro controls Tren de Aragua. In an April memo, the agencies said Maduro’s government “probably does not” cooperate with the gang or direct it to carry out operations in the US.
A White House social media post misleadingly links deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro with the US fentanyl crisis.
The X post includes a video highlighting parents who lost children to fentanyl overdoses thanking President Donald Trump for capturing Maduro.
“Angel Families thank President Trump for saving lives & capturing Maduro – the kingpin flooding America with deadly fentanyl,” the White House’s January 5 X post said. “Justice is being served.”
US troops abducted Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at their Caracas home in the early hours of January 3. The two pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges on January 5 in New York federal court.
The White House post isn’t the first time the Trump administration has blamed Maduro for trafficking fentanyl to the US. Trump has cited the potent synthetic opioid that is responsible for most US drug overdose deaths to justify pressure on Venezuela in the months before Maduro’s capture.
But neither Venezuela nor Maduro plays a role in smuggling fentanyl to the US. The majority of US fentanyl comes from Mexico and is made with chemicals from China, according to US government reports and drug policy experts.
The White House did not respond to PolitiFact’s request for comment.
Vice President JD Vance addressed fentanyl in a January 4 X post, the day before the White House’s post, saying cocaine is “the main drug trafficked out of Venezuela,” and, “Yes, a lot of fentanyl is coming out of Mexico. That continues to be a focus of our policy in Mexico and is a reason why President Trump shut the border on day one.”
Drug experts previously told PolitiFact that Venezuela acts as a transit country for some cocaine trafficking in part because its neighbouring country, Colombia, is the world’s main cocaine producer. However, most of the cocaine that enters the US doesn’t go through Venezuela.
Government reports say fentanyl does not come from Venezuela
The Drug Enforcement Agency’s annual National Drug Threat Assessment reports for years have pointed to Mexico and China as the countries responsible for illicit fentanyl in the US. None of the agency’s reports from 2017 to 2025 list Venezuela as a fentanyl producer or trafficker.
Most illicit fentanyl entered the US via the southern border at official ports of entry, and 83.5 percent of the smugglers in fiscal year 2024 were US citizens.
“There is no evidence of fentanyl or cocaine laced with fentanyl coming from Venezuela or anywhere else in South America,” David Smilde, a Tulane University sociologist who studies violence in Venezuela, told PolitiFact in September.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime World Drug Report also points to Mexico as the country of origin for the most fentanyl seized in the US.
US fentanyl overdose deaths recently have dropped. From May 2024 to April 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 43,000 synthetic opioid deaths, most of which were from fentanyl, down from nearly 70,000 in the previous year.
“The United States has been suffering an enormous overdose crisis driven by opioids and fentanyl in particular in recent years,” John Walsh, director for drug policy at the Washington Office on Latin America, a group advocating for human rights in the Americas, previously told PolitiFact. “I would say it has zero to do with anything in South America or the Caribbean.”
The Justice Department first indicted Maduro in 2020 for alleged drug-related actions dating to 1999. A newly unsealed and updated indictment filed in the Southern District of New York charges Maduro and two co-defendants with narcoterrorism conspiracy and him, Flores and the four other co-defendants with cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of machineguns.
The indictment calls Maduro an illegitimate leader who transported cocaine under Venezuelan law enforcement protection, enriching his family and cementing power.
The 25-page document does not mention fentanyl or fentanyl trafficking.
Our ruling
The Trump White House described Maduro as “flooding America with deadly fentanyl”.
Drug experts and official government and international reports point to Mexico and China as the countries primarily involved in producing and trafficking the illicit fentanyl that reaches the US. The majority of fentanyl in the US comes from Mexico, is made with chemicals from China, and is smuggled by US citizens via official ports of entry at the southern border.
The US Justice Department indicted Maduro on charges related to cocaine. The indictment does not mention fentanyl.
In two years at Seattle, Durde and head coach Mike Macdonald have transformed the Seahawks’ defence.
It is the first time Durde has worked with Macdonald – also a defensive coach – so his first season was “a year of real growth, understanding and adapting” in which the new coaching regime “built a foundation, we got on the right path”.
Seattle finished the 2024 season with a 10-7 record and missed out on the play-offs on a tie-breaker. In hindsight, it may have been a blessing in disguise, giving them an extra year to build.
“I’m not going to lie, we wanted to get in,” said Durde. “But once the season’s over, you self-scout, work out how you improve, and we went through that process.”
In 2023, Seattle’s defence was ranked second-worst against the run game and third-worst overall. In Macdonald and Durde’s first season they climbed to mid-table in both.
This season the Seahawks’ defence is ranked third-best against the run and has conceded the fewest points (17.2 per game).
“There’s a lot of defences that are middle of the table in the run game and still play excellent defence, they still stop points,” said Durde.
“But if you’re really trying to create an identity, a style of play, and you want to make it hard for everything [your opponents] do, it all starts with stopping the run.
“That’s been a focus point since we got here, and it’s been a stacking process as we go through.”
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
U.S. forces were prepared to destroy three airfields if it appeared that fighters belonging to the Venezuelan Air Force were attempting to scramble and intercept the force sent to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro earlier this month. Planners were also concerned that as many as 75 air defense sites might sit between American forces and their objective. These and other new operational details are contained in a heavily redacted legal memo the U.S. Department of Justice released earlier this week.
The memo was written by T. Elliot Gaiser, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice, and is dated December 23, 2025. Its primary purpose is to address questions of the legality of the mission, which was nicknamed Operation Absolute Resolve and ultimately carried out on the night of January 2-3. President Donald Trump’s administration has argued that capturing Maduro and his wife was a law enforcement action with military support and that, by extension, it was not constrained by various U.S. and international laws surrounding the employment of American forces and armed conflict more generally. The legal justifications remain a controversial topic subject to much debate.
Nicolas Maduro, second from the left, and his wife, at far right, are seen escorted by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents in New York City, New York, on January 5, 2026. XNY/Star Max/GC Images via Getty Images
It is important to note that the operational planning details contained in the memo, per Gaiser, were as of December 22. It has been reported that the Trump administration had originally planned to launch the operation on Christmas Day, but that it was delayed in deference to unrelated strikes targeting ISIS terrorists in Nigeria. The memo notably says that Maduro was assumed to be the only target of the operation. The unredacted portions indicate his wife – described in a footnote as being “‘known to be more aggressive and combative’ than her husband” – was expected to be with him, but not captured. What else may have changed plan-wise between December 22 and January 3 is unknown.
“The War Department has identified three airfields that may be destroyed should it appear that fighters are being assembled there to intercept the assault force,” the memo says. “The airfields will not be struck otherwise as they are dual use for military and civilian purposes.”
There are no clear indications that Venezuela’s Russian-made Su-30MK2V Flankers or U.S.-built F-16s made any real attempt to respond to the American operation. Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base in Caracas, also known as La Carlota, in Caracas, as well as Higuerote Airport, which lies on the coast east of the capital, were targeted, but more likely due to the presence of air defense assets on the ground. Neither of these facilities is known to host fighters.
Satellite imagery analysis of Higuerote Airport, Venezuela (03 Jan 2026 14:54 local/18:54 GMT) indicates at least two, possibly three, locations targeted in US strikes.
“The War Department had advised that Maduro spends considerable time at Fort Tiuna [Fuerte Tiuna], a fortified location at the southern end of Caracas, [redacted],” the memo also explains. “It is expected that U.S. forces will face heavy resistance on the approach.”
In the memo, Gaiser says that “the intelligence community has suggested that – notwithstanding his public posturing – Maduro may not currently have the capacity to engage in the kind of ‘significant armed resistance’” and that there are “questions about whether the Venezuelan army is also less than entirely loyal.”
However, “throughout our discussions, there has never been a suggestion that forces within Fort Tiuna will do anything other than go down fighting” and “it is indisputable that if Fort Tiuna were in the United States rather than Venezuela, there would be a sufficient threat of armed resistance,” he added.
On top of that, “there may be as many as 75 anti-aircraft battery sites along the approach route to Fort Tiuna,” the Assistant Attorney General wrote.
“Moreover, we have been orally advised that there are estimated to be [redacted],” the memo continues. “These weapons, [redacted] are capable of downing the helicopters carrying the assault and retrieval force.”
Well before Operation Absolute Resolve was launched, TWZ did a deep-dive into Venezuela’s relatively limited air defense capabilities and the very real threats they could still present, including to a heliborne assault force. In particular, prior to the mission, Venezuelan forces claimed to have access to some 5,000 Russian-made Igla-S (SA-24 Grinch) shoulder-fired heat-seeking surface-to-air missiles, also known as man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). MANPADS, in general, pose a significant danger to low and slow-flying helicopters, compounded by their ability to pop up with little, if any, prior warning. The location of MANPADS can also be very hard to pin down and then plan around prior to an operation. We have previously highlighted how larger road-mobile surface-to-air missile systems in Venezuela’s arsenal could present similar complications, as well.
IGLA- S /SA-24 Grinch- Manpads en Venezuela
“As of December 22, 2025, the proposed assault force will include approximately [redacted] within Venezuelan territory; [and] an [redacted] assault force carried by helicopters [redacted],” according to the memo. “Before the assault force arrives at Fort Tiuna, approximately [redacted] aircraft comprising [redacted] will serve as an escort and clear emplaced anti-aircraft batteries as needed.”
The apparent reference to a clandestine force in place in advance is notable. It has been widely reported now that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had infiltrated operatives weeks ahead of the mission, but their role has been largely framed as having been to monitor Maduro’s movements and establish his so-called “pattern of life,” as well as to gather other intelligence. Elements of the Department of Justice, including FBI agents, also took part in the operation, but are not understood to have been present in the country beforehand.
Otherwise, the details here align with what has already emerged about the final Operation Absolute Resolve force package, which included a 200-strong force of special operations led by elements of the U.S. Army’s Delta Force. MH-60 Black Hawk and MH-47 Chinook helicopters from the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, better known as the Night Stalkers, carried that force to and from Fuerte Tiuna. Some of the MH-60s were configured as gunships, also known as Direct Action Penetrators (DAP), and provided close air support for the main force.
Footage from helicopters over Venezuela show what appear to be CH-47 Chinooks and MH-60 Black Hawks. Given available pictures, shapes are overall consistent with versions also flown by special operations units. Rocket strike may suggest presence of other types as well. pic.twitter.com/YxipAqSpAy
Approximately 150 total aircraft, fixed-wing and rotary, crewed and uncrewed, participated in the operation. Beyond the Night Stalker helicopters, this included F-22, F-35, and F/A-18E/F fighters, B-1 bombers, EA-18G and EC-130H electronic warfare aircraft, E-2 airborne early warning and control planes, and RQ-170 Sentinels stealth drones. Navy warships offshore, including the Wasp class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima and supercarrier USS Gerald R. Ford also played key roles.
A view of the flightline at the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico following Operation Absolute Resolve, showing just a small portion of the aircraft involved in that operation. USAF
Post-operation imagery from Venezuela shows that U.S. forces fired AGM-88-series anti-radiation missiles and AGM-154C Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW) precision-guided glide bombs at Venezuelan air defenses, particularly Russian-made Buk-M2E surface-to-air missile systems. Venezuela’s air defense network ultimately played a minimal role in responding to Operation Absolute Resolve, with subsequent reporting raising questions about the degree to which those assets were even operational at the time.
Bellingcat identified weapon remnants that struck an apartment building in Catia La Mar, Venezuela killing one civilian, during the US operation as a US AGM-88 series missile. The apartment was about 500m away from a military area housing Buk-2ME air defense systems that was hit. pic.twitter.com/mYxbYumdHP
Overall, “the expected duration of the operation within Venezuelan territory is [redated] hours,” the Department of Justice memo says. “In order to minimize casualties, the strike will take place at 0100 am (local time) on a date when a maximum number of Venezuelan military [personnel] would be on leave for the holidays.”
The last part here may be a reference to the original reported plan to launch Operation Inherent Resolve on or around Christmas Day. In the end, it did come the weekend after New Year’s, when many individuals may still have been on leave.
“Moreover, kinetic operations will be preceded by non-kinetic action,” the memo also notes. “Power at Fort Tiuna will be disrupted for a lengthier period of time because [redacted] the War Department will aim pre-assault fire is the local power switching station.”
There have been many reports that a cyber attack helped ‘turn out the lights’ in Venezuela during the mission. At the post-operation press conference on January 3, Gen. Caine had also mentioned “different effects provided by SPACECOM [U.S. Space Command], CYBERCOM [U.S. Cyber Command], and other members of the interagency [sic] to create a pathway,” but did not elaborate. Electronic warfare attacks from the EA-18Gs and EC-130Hs would also fall into the category of “non-kinetic action.” There have been speculations and rumors since Maduro was captured that other secretive non-kinetic capabilities may have also played a role, but there remains no hard evidence to support any of that, as of yet.
As the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said during the White House’s recent press briefing on Operation Absolute Resolve, this was a “powerful demonstration of America’s Joint Force.” Listen to his full remarks here: https://t.co/PWdrkZuwJKpic.twitter.com/cN59N9JLM6
The section of the Department of Justice memo on operational planning closes with the statement that “risks to the mission are significant” and “success will depend on surprise,” at least from what is unredacted. It also notes that “the level of risk will depend, in part, on Maduro’s precise location within the Fort at the time of the attack.”
By all accounts, from a tactical perspective, the final execution of Operation Absolute Resolve was highly successful. U.S. forces are assessed to have killed between 75 and 100 people, a plurality of whom are understood to have been personnel guarding Maduro. Cuban authorities have acknowledged the deaths of 32 officers from their military during the operation. At least seven American service members were wounded in the course of the mission, including the pilot of a Night Stalker MH-47 that sustained significant damage, but managed to remain airborne.
The unredacted details in the Department of Justice memo underscore that the success of the operation was in spite of considerable potential risks from air defenses and other threats. More details are still likely to come about those dangers and how they were surmounted.
On a sunny morning in October 2025, 42-year-old Fatima Ibrahim walked into the outpatient department of the Adamawa Specialist Hospital in Yola, northeastern Nigeria. Fatima had been vomiting for days and felt increasingly weak. She said she believed going to the hospital was the safest option; however, her consultation with the doctor was brief. After asking a few questions and checking her vitals, the doctor gave her a handwritten prescription and asked her to collect her medication from the hospital pharmacy. Fatima moved from one pharmacy desk to another within the hospital, each pharmacist struggling to read the illegible handwriting.
Eventually, one pharmacist examined the prescription for a moment and told her, “This prescription is not clear. You will have to go back to the doctor.” Exhausted, Fatima turned back toward the consulting room. As she walked under the midday sun, she became unsteady. A few metres from the hospital entrance, she suddenly lost her balance and fell. A passerby rushed to help her up and guided her to a bench until she was stable.
“I felt very light-headed,” she recounted. “My body was already weak, and the back-and-forth movement made it worse.”
After resting briefly, she went back to see the doctor, who clarified the prescription he had written only minutes earlier. She then returned to the pharmacy for the second time. By 2:30 p.m., nearly four hours after she first arrived at the hospital, she finally received her medication.
Handwritten prescriptions are common in many Nigerian hospitals, especially in Adamawa State. Moses Mathew, a medical doctor at Specialist Hospital in Yola, told HumAngle that on busy days, prescriptions are often written hurriedly due to long patient queues. “All prescriptions are handwritten,” he noted. “After consulting with the patient, I write the diagnosis in the case file and then write the prescription on a card or prescription sheet for the patient to take to the pharmacy.”
Emmanuel Somtochukwu, a pharmacist, said he’s familiar with patients returning to consultation rooms because of illegible prescriptions.
“Illegibility remains one of the most common challenges with handwritten prescriptions. In most cases, they are quite difficult to interpret and dispense,” Pharm. Emmanuel said, adding that prescriptions also frequently arrive with missing details on dosage, strength, duration, or frequency of medication intake.
Dr Mathew acknowledged that while this does not happen often, it can occur on extremely busy days, and the patient may need to return for clarification. “Sometimes it is because the handwriting is not clear. It happens, but it is not usual,” he said.
Recent studies conducted separately in hospitals across northern and southern Nigeria have consistently identified illegible prescriptions as the leading prescriber-related error, leading to incorrect drug dispensing and, in some instances, death.
Pharm. Emmanuel, however, reiterated that the back-and-forth due to illegible writing is common where he works. He claimed that “about one in every ten patients is sent back to the consulting room due to unclear handwriting or missing clinical information, though this often depends on the department or the attending clinician”.
Patients, he noted, often carry handwritten prescriptions from one unit to another, dealing with unclear instructions, queues, and repeated walks within the same facility, even when they are already unwell. These interruptions, Dr Mathew noted, also affect clinical workflow.
“When patients return for clarification, it interrupts consultations,” he said. “Time spent rewriting prescriptions or answering pharmacy queries reduces the number of new patients that can be seen in a day and adds to fatigue.”
A troubling system failure
In August 2025, Aisha Bello, who was pregnant, visited Cottage Hospital in the Girei area of Adamawa State for a routine check-up. She said that the pharmacist could not read the doctor’s instructions and could not dispense her tablets without confirmation.
“I was told I must go back,” she recalled. “I was tired. My legs were aching.”
When she returned, one of the prescribed medications was out of stock. She was asked to take the same handwritten note to a different pharmacy outside the hospital.
“When drugs are unavailable in one unit, patients may experience lost time, delayed commencement of therapy, or even abandon treatment altogether,” Pharm. Emmanuel explained.
Illegibility remains one of the most common challenges with handwritten prescriptions in hospitals in Adamawa, such as the Cottage Hospital in Girei. Photo: Obidah Habila Albert/HumAngle
What Fatima and Aisha experienced was a system failure; the problem was not the diagnosis but the process they had to follow to receive treatment. In many hospitals in Nigeria, medical care depends heavily on paper moving between disconnected units, forcing patients, many of them weak, pregnant, or elderly, to carry their own medical information.
“Without easy access to a patient’s previous prescriptions, allergies, or medical history, decisions are made with incomplete information,” Dr Mathew noted. “You rely heavily on what the patient remembers or what is written in the paper file. This increases the risk of drug interactions, repeated medications, or prescribing something a patient may be allergic to.”
He suggested digital public infrastructure (DPI) as a solution, enabling health facilities to share information seamlessly with patients. He argued that a digital prescribing system could entirely change patients’ negative experience with handwritten prescriptions.
“Prescriptions would be clear and instantly accessible to pharmacists,” he said. “Doctors would also be able to see past prescriptions, allergies, and drug availability. It would save time and ultimately make care safer and more efficient for patients.”
DPI refers to shared digital systems that enable governments, service providers, and institutions to securely share information and work together efficiently. In healthcare, the infrastructure enables prescriptions, medical histories, insurance status, and laboratory results to move electronically between units, without requiring patients to act as messengers.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) defines DPI as “interoperable, reusable and privacy-respecting digital systems” that enable both public and private actors to deliver services at scale and with greater efficiency. According to UNDP, countries that invest in these shared digital foundations are better able to expand access to healthcare, social protection, and financial services without duplicating effort or excluding vulnerable populations.
Digital identity is often the starting point for effective DPI in healthcare, experts said, noting that when patients are reliably identified across systems, their records, insurance coverage, and entitlements are easily linked and verified instantly. In Nigeria, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) reports that over 120 million National Identity Numbers (NINs) have been issued as of 2024, serving as a major building block for integrated public services, including health insurance and electronic medical records.
Lessons from other countries
Countries with interoperable digital health systems have demonstrated what is possible. Estonia’s health system allows doctors and pharmacists to access patient prescriptions and records through a shared digital platform, reducing prescription errors and wait times. In India, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission links digital health IDs, electronic prescriptions, and insurance claims across public and private facilities, enabling near-instant verification for millions of patients.
According to Asor Ahura, a Nigerian-based AI engineer and digital health expert, electronic medical record (EMR) systems, a digital version of a patient’s paper medical file used within a health facility, have become standard globally because of the efficiency they bring to health facilities and digital prescribing. Asor added that these systems improve speed, accuracy, and the integrity of clinical decisions in ways paper-based processes cannot match.
Across Nigeria and other parts of Africa, private health-tech startups are attempting to close the digital divide. One such company, Helium Health, says it has digitised operations for more than 500 healthcare providers in Nigeria and Kenya. However, these efforts remain fragmented, and the broader challenge of system-wide integration persists.
Why Nigeria’s health sector struggles with interoperability
Nigeria’s health sector is undergoing digital reform, but interoperability remains largely aspirational rather than operational. Most public hospitals still rely on paper records or isolated digital tools that do not communicate with one another. Handwritten prescriptions remain vulnerable to legibility errors, while paper records degrade over time. Digital records, by contrast, can be preserved, duplicated securely, and retrieved instantly.
“Physicians are not known for great penmanship, which leads to the legibility issues associated with paper-based prescriptions that often cause pharmacists to dispense wrong regimens to patients. Furthermore, paper is relatively more destructible than digital information; even with careful handling, the former erodes in quality while the latter can persist indefinitely,” Asor noted.
In 2024, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare launched the Nigeria Digital in Health Initiative (NDHI), which is designed to create a national digital health backbone that supports interoperable electronic medical records, shared data standards, and secure health information exchange across public and private providers. However, the initiative is still in its early stages. Many state hospitals, including those in Adamawa, are yet to benefit from the infrastructure, funding, training, and governance structures required to make interoperability routine in daily clinical practice.
According to NDHI, scaling digital health systems requires coordination across federal and state governments, regulators, technology vendors, and health workers. Asor argues that a key missing shift is the adoption of hospital-wide EMR systems, noting that digitising prescriptions alone, without integrating laboratories, radiology, and clinics, still results in poor patient experiences and care.
Another major barrier to interoperability is the slow development and enforcement of national standards and legal frameworks for digital health. While Nigeria has articulated a vision for digital health transformation, binding requirements for interoperable systems, electronic prescribing, and patient data portability are still evolving.
Ridwan Oloyede, a tech policy consultant and Co-founder of Tech Hive Advisory, said the digital health services bill seeks to address some of these gaps by defining rules around digital health platforms, data protection, system accreditation, and interoperability standards. Corroborating, Asor noted that countries with seamless data sharing rely on Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), a global standard for storing and exchanging medical data. He said Nigeria would need to adopt a national implementation guide and mandate FHIR compliance to avoid creating new digital silos.
For patients like Fatima and Aisha, the absence of interoperability is not an abstract policy/implementation gap. It translates into longer waiting times, repeated walks across hospital compounds, delayed treatment, and increased physical strain, especially for pregnant women, the elderly, and those already unwell.
“Personnel training is key,” Asor added. “Basic digital skills are a must for all health facility personnel if the benefits of digitisation are to be realised. Government needs to implement recurrent training of its staff along with provision of infrastructure, including computers, internet and local network connectivity as a precursor to the implementation of the EMR.”
This report is produced under the DPI Africa Journalism Fellowship Programme of the Media Foundation for West Africa and Co-Develop.
US President Donald Trump says he wants to buy Greenland from Denmark and is not taking ‘no’ for an answer.
Ilulissat, Greenland – In the Arctic town of Ilulissat, perched beside an ice fjord in western Greenland, fisherman Joel Hansen says he is “terrified” about the prospect of a United States takeover of his home.
“One way or another”, US President Donald Trump has said, Greenland will become part of the US, and he is not ruling out military force to achieve that goal.
While the Trump administration argues that Greenland is geographically within the North American region and is vital for US security, observers say the US is equally interested in the island’s vast mineral wealth.
Hansen, who is half Inuit and half Danish, has been fishing among the towering icebergs in the waters off Ilulissat for the past 14 years and says he desperately does not want his life to change.
“I am terrified to be American,” he tells Al Jazeera. “I have seen Alaskan Inuits – how hard they are living.”
Despite the often tricky relationship between Greenland and Denmark, which began colonisation of the island in 1721, he is one resident who believes it might be better to be Danish after all, he says.
“I love Greenland because, when I’m fishing, we have freedom to work for ourselves.”
Rich in resources
While Greenland gained “home rule” in 1979 and then greater autonomy via the Self-Government Act of 2009, it remains part of Denmark and, therefore, politically part of Europe. But, geographically, it is in the region of North America.
Because the island is so remote and inhospitable, its rich deposits of zinc, iron, uranium and graphite are largely untapped. It is, however, believed to be home to the world’s eighth-largest deposits of much-sought-after rare-earth elements.
When processed, these have magnetic and electro-chemical properties which are vital for producing components of modern tech, such as wind turbines, electric vehicles, smartphones, missile systems and fighter jets.
The military applications are of particular concern to the US, it says, because China has about 60 percent of the world’s rare-earth elements – and processes 90 percent of them.
Greenland itself has only two operating mines, but Greenlanders believe they could build their own capacity to process minerals. “We have a lot of minerals in Greenland, so we can be a nation if we want,” says Hansen. “We don’t need money from Trump.”
‘We are totally different’
The prospect of the US descending on Greenland to tap its minerals has struck fear into Inuit communities around Ilulissat, which welcomed back the sunrise this week after near constant darkness during the polar night of the past two months.
In advance of a meeting between the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers with US US state secretary Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance in Washington on Wednesday, Inuit Greenlander Karl Sandgreen, head of the Ilulissat Icefjord visitor centre, told Al Jazeera, “My hope is that Rubio is going to have some humanity in that talk.”
His fears are for the Inuit way of life. “We are totally different. We are Inuit, and we’ve been living here for thousands of years. This is my daughter’s and my son’s future, not a future for people who are thinking about resources.”
The global tensions from Greenland to Iran feature prominently on Thursday’s front pages. “World on the brink” is the Daily Mirror’s headline as it reports that UK and US personnel were evacuated from their bases in the Middle East in anticipation of American strikes on Iran.
Leading the Times’ picture slot is a striking photo of a woman with a mock gunshot wound painted on her forehead during a rally in support of Iranian protests in Rome. The paper features Trump saying that he has been informed on “good authority” that the killing of protesters in Iran has stopped.
The UK is preparing for a possible US strike on Iran by withdrawing military personnel from its Qatar base, according to the i Paper. It says the move is in anticipation of expected retaliation from Iran on US bases and allies should Trump decide to intervene in the anti-regime protests.
The Guardian leads with Donald Trump’s continued interest in “conquering” Greenland. The paper reports on talks between Denmark, Greenland and US officials on Wednesday over ongoing tensions, with the Danish foreign minister saying they failed to solve a “fundamental disagreement”.
Moving to domestic news, the Daily Telegraph says four million people are to be denied the right to vote in May’s local elections as the government is expected to cancel at least 27 council elections. The Tories and Reform have accused the PM of “running scared” of the public, the paper reports.
The Daily Mail shifts its focus to calls for the chief constable of West Midlands Police to step down after the home secretary said he no longer had her confidence. It follows an update on a review into safety recommendations that led to Maccabi Tel Aviv fans being banned from attending a match against Aston Villa.
The Financial Times reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves has opened the door to expanding her business rates U-turn beyond pubs to other hospitality businesses. It quotes Reeves saying changes to business taxes will be made in a “balanced way”.
A former PC is calling for injured 999 officers to be honoured, saying it’s a “no brainer” and he is “frustrated” by the lack of progress to create a medal for staff forced to stop work, according to the Daily Express.
In lunar news, a space entrepreneur has unveiled plans for the first hotel on the Moon with an expected opening in 2032, the Metro reports. If you’re lucky enough to have £7.5m spare, you can enjoy a five-night stay in luxury rooms on the surface of the Moon with a view. Additional amenities will include in-room oxygen generation, temperature control and a radiation shelter for solar storms, the paper says.
The Sun splashes its front page with a picture of singer Cheryl Tweedy’s stalker who has been jailed again shortly after being released in recent weeks.
Finally, the Daily Star pictures workers appearing to install Sky services at the new home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in Sandringham. “His Royal Sky-ness” is the headline.
Global tensions from Iran to Greenland feature prominently on the front pages of Thursday’s papers.
The Guardian focuses on what’s described as Donald Trump’s continued interest in “conquering” Greenland. The paper reports that yesterday’s talks between officials from the US, Denmark and Greenland failed to resolve what the Danish foreign minister called a “fundamental disagreement”. The i Paper says Denmark and the US have “agreed to disagree” after “frank but constructive talks”.
The Times reports that a US plan to attack the Iranian regime appears to be on “pause” after Trump said he’d been assured that the killing of protesters had stopped. But Trump also told reporters that he’d be “very upset” if that turned out to be false.
The paper has a striking photograph of a woman with a painted gunshot wound on her forehead during a rally in support of Iranian protests in Rome. The Daily Mirror refers to tensions in Iran and the situation in Greenland in its front page headline: “World on the brink.”
The government’s decision to allow some councils in England to postpone elections due in May is the main news in the Daily Telegraph. The paper claims four million people will be denied the right to vote and says the Conservatives and Reform UK have accused Sir Keir Starmer of “running scared” of the electorate. Ministers say delaying the elections will allow more time for plans for local government reorganisation.
The Times says the chief constable of West Midlands police is resisting calls to resign, despite losing the confidence of the Home Secretary. The Daily Mail refers to the situation as a “stand-off” and says Craig Guildford is under “intense pressure” after his force banned fans of the Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv from a match in Birmingham. Its single-word headline is: “Shameless.”
And the Daily Telegraph highlights the efforts of 69-year-old Peter Hill, who has visited his 4,500th pub, The Mermaid in St Albans in Hertfordshire, in a quest to see every pub in the Camra Good Beer Guide. His epic pub crawl and taken six years and cost him £66,000.
Ukraine struggles to restore heat, electricity as temperatures plummet to -19 degrees Celsius.
Published On 15 Jan 202615 Jan 2026
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that a state of emergency is being declared for Ukraine’s energy sector, as repeated Russian attacks have left thousands of homes without heat and electricity amid freezing winter conditions.
Zelenskyy’s announcement came as temperatures dropped to -19 degrees Celsius (-2.2 Fahrenheit) in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, where hundreds of apartment buildings remain without heat following a massive Russian attack last week.
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“The consequences of Russian strikes and deteriorating weather conditions are severe,” said Zelenskyy in a post on X late on Wednesday, adding that “repair crews, energy companies, municipal services, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine continue to work around the clock to restore electricity and heating”.
Zelenskyy also said he had asked his government to review curfew restrictions during “this extremely cold weather” and that the country was working to increase its electricity imports to try to alleviate the dire situation.
In Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, 471 apartment buildings remained without heat on Wednesday, almost a week after a Russian attack left thousands of apartments without heat, electricity and water, according to city officials.
Electricians carry out emergency repairs on a power pole after a transformer burned out due to a voltage surge caused by regular Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, on Wednesday [Dan Bashakov/AP Photo]
The attack, which began last Thursday night, prompted Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko to urge people to leave the city, saying that “half of apartment buildings in Kyiv – nearly 6,000 – are currently without heating because the capital’s critical infrastructure was damaged by the enemy’s massive attack”.
Energy supply has been a frequent target during Russia’s war on Ukraine, with Moscow and Kyiv launching attacks on oil refineries, gas pipelines, pumping stations and nuclear and thermal power stations, which are powered by coal, oil and gas.
Russian-appointed local official Yevhen Balitsky said on Telegram on Wednesday that a Ukrainian attack had left more than 3,000 people without electricity in Russian-occupied areas of Zaporizhia.
A screen displays a temperature of -14C in Kyiv on Wednesday [Sergei Gapon/AFP]
Black Sea attacks
The frequent attacks on energy supply during Russia’s war with Ukraine have also expanded beyond both countries’ borders, including to oil tankers in the Black Sea.
In recent months, a number of oil tankers have come under attack from drones in the Black Sea, prompting concerns from neighbouring countries, including Turkiye and Kazakhstan.
On Tuesday, drones struck two oil tankers in the Black Sea, chartered by United States oil giant Chevron, according to the companies involved. The ships were sailing towards a terminal on the Russian coast, with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday blaming the attacks on Ukraine, which had yet to publicly comment.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that three oil tankers were hit in the attack and that they were heading to a Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, where an oil pipeline from the central Asian country ends.
The ministry urged the US and Europe to help secure the transport of oil.
“The increasing frequency of such incidents highlights the growing risks to the functioning of international energy infrastructure,” it said.
Ukraine has declared a state of emergency in the country’s energy sector, with a particular focus on Kyiv, as ongoing Russian strikes continue to leave thousands of residents without power.
President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of deliberately exploiting the harsh winter conditions as part of its war strategy, with overnight temperatures in Kyiv recently dropping to around -20C.
The declaration comes as Zelensky’s US counterpart Donald Trump said he was holding up efforts to secure a peace deal to end nearly four years of war with Russia.
He told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday that Ukraine “is less ready to make a deal” than Russian president Vladimir Putin.
When asked why peace talks have not yet resolved the conflict, Trump responded: “Zelensky”.
The two leaders are both expected to attend the World Economic Forum in Switzerland next week, although Trump suggested no formal plans were arranged for them to meet.
In recent weeks, Russian attacks on Kyiv have left thousands of homes without regular power, heating or running water. After one particularly heavy night of missile and drone attacks last week, 70% of the capital was left without power for several hours.
Following a special cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Zelensky said a round-the-clock task force would be set up to fix damage caused by Russian strikes and worsening weather conditions.
He said the new measures would include procuring vital energy equipment and resources from abroad to replace damaged installations.
“The First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Energy of Ukraine has been assigned to oversee work supporting people and communities under these conditions,” he wrote on X.
He also ordered an increase in the number of emergency help points around Kyiv to provide heat and power for residents, a move which could see a relaxing of current midnight curfew in the capital.
Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have not been limited to the capital.
Last week, Ukrainian officials said that more than one million people in south-eastern Ukraine spent hours without heating and water supplies as a result of Russian air strikes.
As the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches, Timchenko said Russia had repeatedly targeted DTEK’s energy grid with “waves of drones, cruise and ballistic missiles” and the company had found it difficult to cope.
He added that the intensity of strikes had been so frequent “we just don’t have time to recover”.
DTEK currently provides power for 5.6 million Ukrainians.
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Even as flight tracking data shows an apparent exodus of aircraft from the biggest U.S. base in the Middle East ahead of a possible new conflict with Iran, Trump on Wednesday said the rationale for an attack may be subsiding. The president claimed that the killings of anti-regime protesters, which sparked his repeated threats against Iran, seem to be ending. His comments have created confusion in military, political, and diplomatic circles about what he intends to do about Iran.
You can catch up with our previous coverage of the unfolding eventshere.
“We were told that the killing in Iran is stopping and stopped – stopping, and there’s no plan for executions or an execution or executions,” Trump stated. “So I’ve been told that on good authority. We’ll find out about it.”
BREAKING: Trump:
We have been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, it has stopped.
There is no plan for executions. I have been told that, we will find out about it. pic.twitter.com/TnJMgP2Dfp
Asked if that meant an operation against Iran was off the table, Trump said: “We will watch and see how the process develops. However, we have received a very good — very good — statement from people who know the situation well.”
🇺🇸🇮🇷 Journalist: Does this mean that military action against Iran is now off the table?
Trump: We will watch and see how the process develops. However, we have received a very good — very good — statement from people who know the situation well. pic.twitter.com/UzUA8EOfEW
Before Trump’s White House statements, it was reported that Wednesday’s planned execution of Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old protester who has become the face of imperiled demonstrators, was postponed.
Just spoken to relatives of Erfan Soltani, the 26yr old protestor, due to be executed today in Iran. They told us the execution has been postponed. pic.twitter.com/poa2UiTWtA
On Tuesday, Trump put out a message on his Truth Social platform, urging continued protests against the regime, adding a perceived promise of action that “HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”
In an exclusive story later in the day, NBC News reported that “Trump has told his national security team that he would want any U.S. military action in Iran to deliver a swift and decisive blow to the regime and not spark a sustained war that dragged on for weeks or months.” The network cited a U.S. official, two people familiar with the discussions and a person close to the White House.
“If he does something, he wants it to be definitive,” one of the people familiar with the discussions told NBC.
“But Trump’s advisers have so far not been able to guarantee to him that the regime would quickly collapse after an American military strike, the U.S. official and two people familiar with the discussions said,” the story continued, “and there is concern that the U.S. may not have all the assets in the region it would need to guard against what administration officials expect would be an aggressive Iranian response.”
President Donald J. Trump has told his national security team that he would want any U.S. military action in Iran to deliver a “swift and decisive blow” to the regime and not spark a sustained war that dragged on for weeks or months, according to a U.S. official who spoke to NBC… pic.twitter.com/kMku3M52WH
Trump’s comments on Wednesday have reportedly left diplomats bewildered about what will happen next. In a post on X, Wall Street Journal reporter Laurence Norman reported that there is “Utter confusion, uncertainty about what’s going on now with #Iran among various senior diplomats.”
Utter confusion, uncertainty about what’s going on now with #Iran among various senior diplomats.
Still, there were signs potentially indicating impending military action. The Pentagon ordered some personnel at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar to evacuate the facility.
Later on Wednesday, as we pointed out earlier in this story, U.S. military aircraft appeared to be leaving that facility in numbers.
The U.S. Embassy in Qatar advised personnel to “exercise increased caution and limit non-essential travel to Al Udeid.”
Qatar: Given ongoing regional tensions, the U.S. Embassy in Doha has advised its personnel to exercise increased caution and limit non-essential travel to Al Udeid Airbase. We recommend U.S. citizens in Qatar do the same. The U.S. Mission to Qatar continues to monitor the… pic.twitter.com/wGXYW8uF0G
In Kuwait, the U.S. Embassy instructed mission personnel to halt movements to military bases in that country.
“‘Tehran has told regional countries, from Saudi Arabia and UAE to Turkey, that U.S. bases in those countries will be attacked if the U.S. targets Iran,”Reuters reported. We saw a similar pattern in June, just days before Trump ordered the Operation Midnight Hammer attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, when the Air Force evacuated many of its aircraft from bases near the Persian Gulf in order to save them from a potential barrage.
There have also been peculiar aircraft movements to Hawaii, though the reason is not clear. The Hawaii Air National Guard (HANG) is holding Sentry Aloha, a large training exercise involving fighter aircraft, airborne early warning jets and refueling tankers. This could account for some of the activity, but that even kicked off today and usually participating aircraft do not show up the night before such an exercise.
It also should be remembered that the Pentagon purposely made sure flight trackers could see the movements of what appeared to be a large group of B-2s over the Pacific ahead of Midnight Hammer in what became a very effective information operation. In reality, the real strike force was heading east without being tracked, over the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, before making their way to strike their targets in Iran.
“At midnight, Friday into Saturday morning, a large B-2 strike package comprised of bombers” left the United States, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, explained during a press conference following Midnight Hammer. “As part of a plan to maintain tactical surprise, part of the package proceeded to the west and into the Pacific as a decoy, a deception effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders here in Washington and in Tampa.”
Whether there is any connection between what we are seeing in Hawaii and any attack on Iran is something we will only really know after the fact, just like Midnight Hammer. But aside from prepositioning refueling assets, this seems less likely at this time.
As far as Navy assets, a handful of unconfirmed reports state the U.S. is ordering the USS Abraham Lincoln and its carrier strike group (CSG) to the Middle East. This would mark the first major movement of Navy assets to the region since massive protests against the regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei broke out across the country last month. There are currently no U.S. aircraft carriers in the region.
US MILITARY HARDWARE MOVING TO THE MIDDLE EAST AMID TENSIONS WITH IRAN:
The U.S. is moving a carrier strike group from the South China Sea to the CENTCOM area of responsibility, a source with knowledge tells me @NewsNation
“A US official tells Al Jazeera: The USS Lincoln aircraft carrier and its strike group…will move from the South China Sea to the Middle East,” the news outlet reported on Telegram Wednesday afternoon. While The War Zone cannot independently confirm that, such a movement fits in with our assessment earlier today that the Lincoln CSG would be the most likely choice for a carrier deployment should the Pentagon decide to plus-up its Navy presence in the region. We will continue to monitor this situation for updated information.
Earlier today, a Navy official told us that there were six ships in the CENTCOM region – three Areligh Burke class destroyers, USS McFaul, USS Mitscher and USS Roosevelt, as well as three Littoral Combat Ships, the USS Tulsa, USS SantaBarbara and USS Canberra.
U.S. Navy sailors heave a line from the Lewis and Clark class dry cargo ship USNS Carl Brashear during a replenishment-at-sea aboard the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul. The ship is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Intelligence Specialist Aubree Miller) Chief Petty Officer Aubree Miller
In comparison, at the time of the Operation Midnight Hammer attack on Iranian nuclear facilities in June, the Vinson Carrier Strike Group was deployed to the region as well as two Arleigh Burke class destroyers, according toUSNI’s Fleet and Marine Tracker. An additional three Arleigh Burkes were on station in the Eastern Mediterranean, well within range of Iran for its long-range missiles. There are currently no U.S. warships in that body of water, the Navy told us this morning.
Wednesday morning, Adm. Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations, addressed questions about whether he was concerned no carriers are now in the CENTCOM region.
While those deployments provided far more punch than exists now, we have previously pointed out that other capabilities can fill-in for a carrier strike group, at least to a degree. This includes land-based aircraft and additional land-based air defenses, although we have seen no indication of major movements of those capabilities, either. It’s also worth noting that there is a sizable U.S. force deployed to the Middle East at any given time.
“So we can show up pretty much anywhere in the world and provide options right away [but] it’s about risk,” he told reporters, including from The War Zone, at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium. “This is risk. This is risk to mission. It can be risk to force and certainly risk to objectives if combatant commanders don’t have the forces they need.”
Regardless of Trump’s comments or U.S. military movements, the region remains on edge. The British closed their embassy in Tehran while India ordered its citizens to leave the country.
BREAKING: British Embassy has been closed in Tehran
A government spokesperson said: “We have temporarily closed the British Embassy in Tehran, this will now operate remotely. Foreign Office travel advice has now been updated to reflect this consular change.”
Meanwhile, Israel seems to be preparing for a major event, though officials are trying to maintain an element of calm.
“The IDF says it has stepped up its defensive posture and is closely monitoring developments amid reports of a possible US strike on Iran and Iranian threats of retaliation against Israel, while urging the public to rely only on official updates and avoid spreading rumors,” the Times of Israel reported.
A senior IDF official told us that he is seeing mixed signs of preparation.
“I have just returned from the Kirya base, the IDF’s main headquarters,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational details. “I did not observe anything out of the ordinary there. At the same time, I continue to hear ongoing directives instructing units to maintain a high level of readiness for any possible scenario.”
“I am aware that aircraft are armed and on immediate standby, and that all active missile defense systems are fully operational and prepared,” he added.
Jerusalem is also preparing for attacks from the Houthi rebels of Yemen and the Hezbollah insurgents of Lebanon. Both groups are Iranian proxies that have had frequent conflicts with Israel.
🚨 CHANNEL 12 | IDF PREPARES FOR MULTI-FRONT THREAT
Channel 12 News reports that the Israel Defense Forces is preparing for the possibility that Houthi movement forces in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon could also take part in attacks against Israel.
The German airline Lufthansa told employees to immediately prepare to leave Israel, which is at a high state of alert for an attack on or from Iran.
The German flagship carrier Lufthansa has told employees to immediately prepare to leave Israel and will cancel all flights to and from the country beginning Thursday, due to heightened tensions in the region related to Iran. pic.twitter.com/5xfIxE0lmu
As for the situation inside Iran, it remains extremely difficult to assess what is really taking place. The scope of any ongoing protests remains unclear.
Iran, as we previously noted, has largely shut down the internet and telephone service, including attempting to jam Starlink terminals. An exact number of deaths since the protests began on Dec. 28 over rising prices, devalued currency that saw the rial crater now to basically nothing, a devastating drought, and brutal government crackdowns, is hard to pin down. On Wednesday, the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) reported that more than 2,400 protesters have been killed so far. A day earlier, CBS News stated that the death toll was at least 12,000 and possibly as high as 20,000.
The events in and around Iran remain highly fluid and we will continue to provide updates when warranted.
Al-Udeid is the largest US military base in the Middle East
The US and UK are reducing the number of personnel at the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, as US President Donald Trump considers whether to take action against Iran over its crackdown on anti-government protests.
Officials have told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that the partial American withdrawal was a “precautionary measure”. The BBC understands some UK military personnel are also being removed.
A Qatari government statement said the measures reportedly being taken by the US were “in response to the current regional tensions”.
The Foreign Office has also temporarily closed the British embassy in Tehran, which will now operate remotely, a government spokesperson said.
The US embassy in Doha has advised its personnel to exercise increased caution and limit non-essential travel to the Al-Udeid air base.
Iran closed its airspace from 02:45 local time (22:15 GMT) on Thursday, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration’s website.
The closure was initially due to last two hours, but was later extended to 08:00 local time (03:30 GMT), according to the Reuters news agency.
Several airlines have announced they will reroute flights around Iran in response, including Air India and Germany’s Lufthansa.
Air India warned that passengers could experience delays or cancellations as flights through the region were rerouted. Lufthansa issued a statement confirming its flights would avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace “until further notice”.
According to rights groups, more than 2,400 anti-government demonstrators have been killed in the recent violent crackdown by the Iranian authorities.
Regarding the removal of military personnel, the Qatari government said it would continue to “implement all necessary measures to safeguard the security and safety of its citizens and residents as a top priority, including actions related to the protection of critical infrastructure and military facilities”.
A UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson declined to comment on reports that UK personnel were being withdrawn “due to operational security”.
Al-Udeid is the largest US military base in the Middle East and about 10,000 personnel are based there, as well as about 100 UK staff. It is not clear how many will be leaving.
Earlier this week, Trump warned the US would take “very strong action” against Iran if the authorities execute protesters. Iran has said it will retaliate if attacked by the US.
On Wednesday, he said his administration had been told “on good authority” that “the killing in Iran is stopping, and there’s no plan for executions”.
When questioned by a reporter, Trump said that these were “very important sources on the other side” and that he hoped the reports were true.
The US president was also asked whether military action was now off the table, to which he replied: “We’re going to watch and see what the process is.”
The Reuters news agency, citing diplomats, reported that while some personnel had been told to leave the Al-Udeid air base, there was no immediate sign of large numbers of troops being bussed out like in the hours before an Iranian strike last year.
Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Donald Trump to “not repeat the same mistake that you did in June,” adding: “You know, if you try a failed experience, you will get the same result.”
As well as the temporary closure of the British embassy in Tehran, the US Mission to Saudi Arabia has advised its personnel and citizens to “exercise increased caution and limit non-essential travel to any military installations in the region”.
Italy and Poland have published statements urging their citizens to leave Iran, while Germany has issued a notice to air operators recommending that flights do not enter Tehran, citing potential risk from “escalating conflict and anti-aviation weaponry”.
Iran’s government has accused the US of seeking to “manufacture a pretext for military intervention”, with the parliament speaker warning that if the US attacked, both Israeli and US military and shipping centres in the region would become legitimate targets.
The latest protests in Iran began at the end of December following the collapse of the currency and as the country deals with soaring living costs.
They quickly widened into demands for political change and became one of the most serious challenges to the clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it had so far confirmed the killing of 2,403 protesters, as well as 12 children, despite an internet blackout. More than 18,434 protesters have been arrested during the unrest, the group also reported.
Amnesty International said there were “mass unlawful killings committed on an unprecedented scale”, citing “verified videos and credible information from eyewitnesses in Iran”.
The organisation urged UN member states to recognise the “crimes committed by security forces” in the protests.
John Chilembwe was born sometime between 1860 and 1871 in the African nation of Nyasaland, now known as Malawi. There is no record of his exact date and place of birth.
What is known is that he was trained as a church minister in the United States returning home after becoming a Baptist minister.
While in America he learned about the abolitionist movement there. Back in Malawi, he developed a growing disgust with the wanton cruelty of white rule, especially on white estates that had African tenants and wage earners.
At the start of the first world war, Britain decided to use Nyasa soldiers against the Germans in east Africa. To use locals without their agreement in such a conflict proved to be a tipping point for Chilembwe’s anger against the British.
On Saturday January 23rd 1915, Chilembwe led an uprising and attacked a notoriously brutal estate, killing several managers along with several African workers. One of those killed was Jervis Livingstone and it is said Chilembwe displayed Livingstone’s severed head in his church. Lacking support from other districts, the revolt quickly collapsed. Chilembwe tried to flee to neighbouring Mozambique. He and a group of his followers were caught and killed on February 3rd 1915.
Over the years though, Chilembwe has become a symbol of the country’s liberation struggle against the white colonialists. He was also the first to give a voice to the idea of a Nyasa identity, in this country that was more tribal-based. His enduring popularity was aided by a popular play about his uprising being aired on the radio every year on Martyrs’ Day (March 3rd) in the 1980s and 1990s.
Morocco overcome Nigeria on penalties, after the match finished 0-0 after extra time, to reach AFCON final.
Published On 15 Jan 202615 Jan 2026
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Yassine Bounou saved two penalties, and Youssef En-Nesyri netted the decisive spot kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shootout victory over Nigeria following their 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semifinal in Rabat.
Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, will face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff a day before.
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The 120 minutes before the shootout on Wednesday had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created the greater opportunities, though they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.
Nigeria had the best scoring record in the competition coming into the semifinal, but offered very little going forward in a limp display.
And when Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi saw their tame penalties saved in the shootout, they were left to reflect on a performance that showed little ambition.
Morocco were workmanlike and efficient as they have been all through the competition, even if they are still to find their best form.
They are on the brink of a first continental crown since 1976, but their biggest challenge awaits in an impressive Senegal side who beat Egypt 1-0 thanks to Sadio Mane’s winner in the first semifinal in Tangier earlier on Wednesday.
The first half hour in Rabat was devoid of goalmouth chances until Achraf Hakimi’s corner was headed into the path of Ayoub El Kaabi five yards from goal.
But he was caught in two minds whether to turn and shoot or try an overhead kick, and in the end did neither as the chance was lost.
Morocco’s Youssef En-Nesyri reacts after scoring his penalty to win the penalty shootout [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]
Morocco dominate chances as Nigeria fail to fire
Morocco’s Ismael Saibari showed excellent skill to work a shooting chance, but Nwabali was equal to his effort.
He was by far the busier keeper in the game, but Morocco were mostly reduced to long-range efforts that proved comfortable enough to save.
Nigeria had few opportunities, and when talisman Victor Osimhen did receive a pass in the box, his touch was poor, and the rare chance was lost.
Nayef Aguerd’s header from a corner hit the outside of the post as the hosts went close, but penalties seemed inevitable well before the 120 minutes were up.
And following Bounou’s saves, En-Nesyri struck the decisive spot-kick to send his side into their first final since a 2004 loss to Tunisia.
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Though there are currently no aircraft carriers in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) region, the Navy’s top admiral said he would seek alternatives to extending the deployment of the USS Gerald R. FordCarrier Strike Group (CSG) for any potential operation against Iran. The strike group, which most recently took part in the Operation Absolute Resolve mission to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, is currently in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) region. It has been away from home since leaving its homeport of Norfolk on June 24, 2025. Extending deployments has a cascading effect on the ability to maintain ships and on the lives of the sailors who operate them.
Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), discussed the status of Ford and her escorts with a small group of reporters, including from The War Zone, today at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and part of its strike group have been at sea for more than 200 days. (USN)
“I think the Ford, from its capability perspective, would be an invaluable option for any military thing the president wants to do,” Caudle explained. “But if it requires an extension, it’s going to get some push back from the CNO. And I will see if there is something else I can do.”
Caudle did not provide specific options, but emphasized that there is a price to be paid for the strike group after being away from homeport for more than 200 days under often intense conditions.
As for what is in the CENTCOM area of operations today, six U.S. Navy warships including three Arleigh Burke class destroyers, USS McFaul, USS Mitscher and USS Roosevelt are present, as well as three Littoral Combat Ships, the USS Tulsa, USS SantaBarbara and USS Canberra. This is a much smaller array of vessels than what was present during the war between Israel and Iran in June. If a carrier is requested, the USS AbrahamLincoln and its strike group would be the one that would likely respond.
Lincoln is currently operating in the South China Sea. There are no other carriers on cruise at the moment. But it’s also worth noting that a carrier is not a prerequisite for dealing with contingencies or even offensive operations in the region. The U.S. can fold in other resources to help make up for the naval presence gap. Where it may be felt most is in missile and drone defense, especially considering multiple Aegis-equipped surface combatants were tasked with defending Israel during the war. This was in addition to the need to defend U.S. and other allies’ facilities in the region.
As for the Ford, its strike group left Norfolk for a “regularly scheduled deployment” to the Mediterranean 11 days before the start of the 12-Day War between Israel and Iran and two days before the U.S. Operation Midnight Hammer attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Last October, the strike group was ordered by President Donald Trump to move to the SOUTHCOM region in response to the growing tensions with Venezuela, which you can read more about here. Arleigh Burke class destroyers USS Winston S. Churchill, USS Bainbridge and USS Mahan remain on station with the Ford to continue operations under Operation Southern Spear, the effort to counter drug trafficking in the region and maintain pressure on Venezuela.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, left, and Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyers USS Winston S. Churchill, front, USS Mahan, back, and USS Bainbridge, remain on station in the SOUTHCOM region as part of Operation Southern Spear. (U.S. Navy photo) Petty Officer 2nd Class Tajh Payne
“The fact that the Ford is currently operating in the Southern Command’s area of operations is fine with me,” Caudle posited. “It is the extensions that bother.”
“I am a big non-fan of extensions, and because they do have significant impact,” Caudle explained. “Number one, I’m a sailors-first CNO. People want to have some type of certainty that they’re going to do a seven-month deployment.”
“When it goes past that, that disrupts lives,” Caudle added. “It disrupts things like funerals that were planned, marriages that were planned, okay, babies that were planned, you know, so the human element of extension, I’m not a big fan of obviously.”
U.S. sailors observe flight operations from the flight deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Dec. 12, 2025. (U.S. Navy photo) Petty Officer 3rd Class Gladjimi Balisage
Beyond affecting people, extensions also have a detrimental impact on the ships.
“To the financial and readiness aspects, we have maintenance agreements and contracts that have been made with yards that are going to repair the ships that are in that strike group, including the carrier itself,” Caudle explained. “And so when those are tied to a specific time, the yard is expecting it to be there. All that is highly disruptive.”
Extending the deployment of the Ford and its carrier group would also add stress “to the workforce, to the balance on that yard, and to how we actually conduct that maintenance, even more so if it goes into the next fiscal year,” Caudle said. “The financial aspects of an extension can be quite disruptive when we burn the ships hotter – more than planned. That does have detrimental effects on the work package.”
“So now, when the ship comes back, we expected the ship to be in this level of state in which it was used during that seven-month deployment, when it goes eight, nine-plus months, those critical components that we weren’t expecting to repair are now on the table,” Caudle pointed out. “The work package grows, so that’s disruptive.”
Yesterday, the Navyhighlighted concerns about how heavy work loads interfere with one aspect of ship maintenance, rust, but there is a much larger scope of work that needs to be done to keep a carrier strike group operational.
A picture of the USS Dewey covered in ‘running rust’ during a port visit in Singapore was shown at the confirmation hearing for Secretary of the Navy nominee John Phelan on January 27, 2025. (Senate Armed Services Committee capture) Senate Armed Services Committee capture
Extending ships’ cruises repeatedly can cause cascading effects that deeply impact the future readiness of the force. This can result in critical power projection capabilities not being available in the future. It’s very much a steal from Peter to pay Paul kind of scenario.
The constant presence needed in the Red Sea, and multiple other contingencies in the Middle East over the last few years, have also taken their toll on the fleet.
Though on a voyage approaching an eighth month, the Ford strike group’s current deployment is still far shorter than the one undertaken by the USS Nimitz strike group in 2020. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nimitz embarked what would become a 341-day deployment, returning home in March 2021. It marked the longest such deployment since the Vietnam War, Navy Times noted.
Regardless of any concerns about what it would mean to the ships and crews of the Ford CSG, Caudle said they will be ready for whatever mission Trump orders.
“I like to tell people the Navy can be anywhere in two weeks,” Caudle proffered. “We are, by our very nature, mobile, expeditionary, quick response option available. And so if the president needs options in the Middle East, you know, we can go build out what that looks like for him. And with the right planning and coordination with the, you know, the respective combatant commanders the Navy will be ready to provide options.”
Teaching international law has always required disciplined idealism. For those of us in the academy who reject the conceit of a benign American imperial order, it is an exercise in professional candour. One must teach rules while explaining, without euphemism, that the most powerful states do not feel bound by them and no longer bother to conceal it.
Consider the present moment. The President of the United States can announce designs on foreign territory such as Greenland not through treaty, referendum, or any lawful process, but by blunt invocation of “US interests,” accompanied by the warning that force remains available if persuasion fails. He can order the seizure of a sitting foreign head of state, Nicolás Maduro, from Venezuelan territory and then publicly boast that Venezuela’s oil will be redirected for American benefit. This has long been the practice of the United States in substance, but no previous president has been so candid about the premise. Donald Trump has stated openly that he does not consider himself bound by international law, that the only constraint on American power is his own sense of morality, a position he articulated on January 8 in an interview with the New York Times. What earlier administrations cloaked in the language of norms, necessity, or exceptionalism, he dispenses with altogether.
Intellectual honesty in the academy requires that this be taught for what it is: an explicit threat and a completed act of aggression, the very offence defined at Nuremberg as the supreme international crime. On that standard, Donald Trump is no less answerable in The Hague than Vladimir Putin, and no less than Western leaders such as George W Bush and Tony Blair should have been for the invasion of Iraq. This is not subtle. It is not a matter of contested interpretation. It is classical aggression and coercion, unembellished and undisguised, stripped of even the pretence of diplomatic restraint.
Yet much of the American mainstream media and pundit class does not describe such conduct for what it plainly is: a clear and unambiguous violation of international law. Instead, the debate is displaced. The question posed is not legality but prudence. Will this alienate allies? Is it strategically wise? Law disappears, replaced by a technocratic discussion of optics. When legality becomes a footnote to strategy, the legal order is debased.
The indulgence is selectively dispensed. The two most militarily assertive powers, the United States and Russia, employ force with a settled expectation that nothing consequential will follow. When American aggression is at issue, condemnation is typically muted or purely ceremonial. Accountability exists largely as abstraction. The lesson conveyed to students is unmistakable. Power confers immunity.
Nowhere is this starker than in the treatment of Israel’s conduct in Gaza. Genocide is not assessed on the basis of legal definition or evidentiary threshold, but on political permission. If the United States does not wish the word to be used, it becomes unsayable. Language itself is subject to veto. This is not law. It is deference, fear, and self-interest masquerading as restraint.
European governments, meanwhile, are preoccupied with their own security anxieties and therefore reluctant to challenge Washington’s vision of the world. Their caution is understandable. Their silence is not. In moral terms, they have yet to escape the gravitational pull of their colonial pasts. The suffering of Palestinians is viewed through a different lens from that applied to Ukrainians, not because of scale or intensity, but because of race, proximity, and historical comfort. The disparity is glaring.
To sustain this imbalance, Western governments have inverted reality itself. A Zionist settler colonial project is presented as a liberal democracy, while every rule governing occupation, self-determination, and proportionality is bent or ignored. Words are redefined. Violence is reclassified. Victims are rendered abstract.
The same indifference is evident in the United States’ violations of the UN Headquarters Agreement through the denial of visas to officials it disfavors. These are not technical breaches. They strike at the basic functioning of the international system. Yet there is no meaningful pushback. The international community absorbs the insult and moves on.
Nor is this confined to the use of force. The United States has unilaterally torn through trade agreements, destabilising the global trading regime it once championed. But trade disputes, serious as they are, pale beside the ultimate crimes. Aggression, genocide, apartheid and crimes against humanity are not marginal infractions. They are the apex offences of the international legal order. Yet the lesson delivered by practice is stark. When committed by the powerful or their allies, nothing follows.
This is the intellectual terrain on which international law must now be taught. Students are not naïve. They see the contradiction. They understand that rules proclaimed as universal are enforced selectively, if at all. The challenge for the teacher is not to sell illusions, but to explain why law still matters when its breach carries so little consequence.
International law today stands exposed as moribund. It survives less as a constraint on power than as a record of its abuse. Teaching it honestly requires acknowledging that the system was never designed to discipline empires, only to civilise their language. That is a bleak conclusion. It is also preferable to a dishonest syllabus.
If international law is to command authority, it will not come through pious reaffirmations by those who violate it most frequently. It will come through the insistence that legality is not contingent on alliance, race, or convenience. Until then, teaching international law remains a demanding exercise in explaining not only what the law says, but why it is so often ignored by those who wrote it.
