Flagship

US mulls paying Greenlanders

The US is reportedly considering paying Greenlanders up to $100,000 each as part of efforts to annex the Danish territory. Washington has stepped up its rhetoric about taking over the island, potentially by force: President Donald Trump has said that Washington “needs” Greenland for its mineral wealth and strategic importance, and the US federal government may invest in mining operations there. European nations have rejected any takeover, but the US secretary of state will meet Danish officials next week, and Trump “has shown no sign of changing his mind,” Politico reported. Discussions of lump-sum payments to Greenlanders are not new, according to Reuters, but they have become more serious in recent days.

Trump rallies oil firms for Venezuela

US President Donald Trump will today aim to convince top energy executives to increase investment in Venezuela’s oil industry as he fights off opposition in Washington over his use of the military in the country. The White House talks with representatives of companies, including Chevron and Exxon Mobil, are part of wide-ranging US efforts to expand control over crude production in Venezuela. It is a tough sell: Venezuela has the world’s largest stated oil reserves, but increasing output is rife with challenges. Trump credited Caracas’ cooperation over oil for warding off further attacks, but he also faces growing domestic criticism, including from Republicans: Five GOP senators sided with Democrats to advance a resolution curbing Trump’s use of the military there.

Trump ‘morality’ checks power

US President Donald Trump said the only limits on his global powers were “my own morality, my own mind” rather than international law. Soon after ordering the ouster of Venezuela’s president, and later withdrawing the US from dozens of international organizations, Trump told The New York Times that he was free to use military or economic power as he chose, limited only by strength rather than treaties or conventions. He suggested that previous presidents were too cautious to make use of Washington’s dominant position, and that the post-World War II order of international bodies imposed unnecessary restrictions on Washington. Even NATO membership, he implied, was not vital, saying that obtaining Greenland or remaining in the alliance was “a choice.”

Iran cuts internet as protests press on

Iranian authorities cut off the internet and international calls, as protests gathered pace across the country. A collapsing rial and high inflation have led to crippling cost-of-living increases, and the resulting protests, which started on Dec. 28, have taken on a political slant, with demonstrators chanting against the theocratic government and in favor of the exiled crown prince, who called for resistance against the leadership. The demonstrations have seen at least 42 killed, although officials appear not to have cracked down severely yet. The country’s long-term challenges are also severe: Iran has suffered brutal droughts, with reservoirs depleted to the extent that the president has said Tehran may have to be evacuated. The country’s longest river is largely dried up, and wildfires are consuming its ancient forests.

Saudi-UAE tensions escalate

Saudi Arabia accused the UAE of aiding a Yemeni separatist, ramping up tensions between the Gulf powers, which are on opposing sides of multiple conflicts. The two are close allies of the US, yet are increasingly competing across technology, energy, and geopolitics: Riyadh and Abu Dhabi back rival factions in Sudan, and have taken differing positions over Israel’s surprise recognition of Somaliland. Their coalition to repel Iran-backed fighters in Yemen is also fracturing as the UAE has allegedly increased support to a group that Saudi opposes. Online, Emirati and Saudi commentators are locked in a worsening war of words. The row, one Middle East expert warned, was “about more than just Yemen” and in fact pointed to a “regional transformation.”

Sudan’s cultural relics destroyed

Sudan’s civil war has devastated the country’s cultural heritage, effectively wiping out centuries of valuable relics. The conflict has left around 10 million people displaced and an estimated 150,000 killed. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces’ two-year occupation of Khartoum has also seen 4,000 items looted from the Sudan National Museum, including mummies dating from 2,500 BC. Museums and ancient palaces in Darfur and El Geneina were destroyed or emptied. Officials say truckloads of antiquities were driven from the capital in 2023 — RSF members filmed themselves opening crates of mummified remains — and estimate total losses at $110 million. “They tried to erase our history,” one official told Le Monde.

Glencore, Rio Tinto revive merger talks

Glencore and Rio Tinto revived merger talks that would create the world’s largest mining company, as global demand surges for metals and minerals key to the energy transition and AI infrastructure buildout. Negotiations between the pair collapsed in 2024, but have taken on renewed momentum after a recent deal combining Anglo American and Canada’s Teck Resources, the Financial Times noted, putting pressure on other mining giants to scale up to better access crucial minerals. Copper prices in particular have surged to record highs in recent weeks as analysts warn of a looming supply shortfall: Copper is a necessary component for the huge wave of electrification being planned across much of the world.

In today’s fast-changing global environment, business leaders are responding by innovating and seizing opportunities in real time. Shifting dynamics, emerging technologies, and rising expectations demand leadership that is both decisive and forward-looking.

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Beijing could import Nvidia chips

Beijing is reportedly set to approve imports of Nvidia chips, in what would be a significant win for the US chip giant. The US has long sought to curtail China’s access to cutting-edge semiconductors, but the Trump administration last year allowed Nvidia to sell its older-generation H200 AI chips. Beijing plans to allow limited imports, Bloomberg reported, though none for use in military or other sensitive sectors. Nvidia expects huge demand: “We’ve fired up our supply chain,” its CEO said this week. The decision is unlikely to blunt Chinese ambitions to grow their domestic chip sector, though, with the head of the country’s main semiconductor trade body warning that the industry must “remain highly vigilant” against dependence on the US.