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Eight Muslim Countries Join Board of Peace + Israel Joins Board of Peace + President Trump: "Concept of a Deal" on Greenland; No Tariffs + FY26 ($838.7 Billion) Defense Appropriations Bill Jan 21, 2026

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1. Eight prominent Muslim countries jointly announced their decisions to join US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace on Wednesday

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates will each appoint a representative to sit on the panel of world leaders, their foreign ministers announced in a joint statement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join the Board of Peace, the premier’s office announced Wednesday.

2. A meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to take place on Thursday with “land deals” over Ukraine on the table, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told CNBC.

3. President Trump: "Concept of a Deal" on Greenland; No Tariffs.

4. Germany will finance the delivery of five Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine under a contract signed in December 2025, with the first systems expected to arrive in the coming weeks, Rheinmetall announced Monday.

5. Trophy active protection systems will be integrated on the Leopard 2 A8 main battle tanks of Lithuania, the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Croatia under a €300 million ($351 million) deal, manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced on Monday.

6. The British Army’s newly upgraded Challenger 3 Main Battle Tank has undergone and completed crewed live firing, ticking off a key milestone for the £800 million ($1.08 billion) program, expected to eventually deliver 148 vehicles into service.

7. House and Senate appropriators have agreed on an $838.7 billion defense topline for fiscal 2026 in a bipartisan deal that would boost defense funds by $8.4 billion over the Pentagon’s request.

US Plans Signing Ceremony for Board of Peace in Davos + President Trump Calls for Decisive Military Options Against Iran + Truce Announced between Syrian Government Forces and Kurdish SDF Jan 20, 2026

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1. The Syrian government and the Kurdish SDF announced a new four-day truce after a previous ceasefire between government forces broke down. The two sides have been clashing for two weeks, amid a breakdown in negotiations over the implementation of a deal to merge their forces together.

2. US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that “we think we know” where the body of the final hostage, slain Israel Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, is being held in the Gaza Strip

MSG Gvili, a member of the Yasam police unit, was killed battling terrorists at Kibbutz Alumim on October 7, 2023, and his body was abducted to Gaza, where it is still being held.

3. Several European countries are considering whether to stop sending personnel to a US military-led coordination center for Gaza, saying it has failed to increase aid flows to the war-shattered enclave or achieve political change, diplomats said.

The Civil-Military Coordination Center was established in southern Israel in October under US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza. It was tasked with monitoring the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, facilitating the entry of aid, and developing postwar policies for the Palestinian territory.

4. US Plans Signing Ceremony for Board of Peace in Davos.

5. Israel on Tuesday began demolishing the East Jerusalem headquarters of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, with Israeli forces entering the compound with bulldozers and other demolition equipment in the early morning and destroying buildings in what UNRWA called an “unprecedented attack.”

6. Iran’s foreign minister hit out at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos late Monday for canceling his appearance over a brutal crackdown on recent protests and said the decision was based on “lies and political pressure from Israel.”

7. Wall Street Journal Report: US President Donald Trump is continuing to push his aides to devise what he calls “decisive” military options against Iran, days after he called off strikes against the Islamic Republic.

President Trump's Board of Peace Invitations Sent: 60 Countries Invited; France Says No + President Trump to Speak at Davos on Wednesday + US Guided-Missile Destroyer & Survey Ship Transit Taiwan Strait Jan 19, 2026

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1. A U.S. military strike in northwest Syria resulted in the death of a leader affiliated with Al-Qaeda who was linked to the ISIS attack that resulted in the death of two U.S. Army soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter, the U.S. Central Command announced Saturday.

2. President Trump's Board of Peace Invitations Sent: 60 Countries Invited; France Says No.

3. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Monday that Turkish and Qatari forces would not set foot in Gaza, days after the White House announced that officials from the countries would sit on a key committee set to oversee the Strip’s postwar management.

4. U.S. President Donald Trump is also attending in person for the first time since he addressed the forum during his first term in 2020. Alongside President Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are set to attend in person.

5. Ukraine's top negotiator Rustem Umerov said on Sunday that talks with U.S. officials would continue at the World Economic Forum opening this week in the Swiss resort of Davos.

6. - U.S. President Donald Trump has linked his drive to control Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he no longer thought "purely of Peace" as the row over the island threatened to reignite a trade war with Europe.

The President declined to tell NBC News in an interview whether he would use force to seize Greenland. He did reiterate his threat to hit European nations with tariffs if a deal is not reached.

7. A pair of U.S. naval vessels carried out Washington’s first reported Taiwan Strait transit of 2026, according to Chinese and U.S. officials.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command claimed that Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG 113 ) and Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship USNS Mary Sears (T-AGS 65) transited the strategic strait between Friday and Saturday.

8. The U.S. and Japan have pledged to further expand joint training across Japan’s southwest region, including the first island chain, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Thursday.

In a 50-minute meeting held this week in Washington D.C., the two defense leaders agreed to prioritize several initiatives meant to strengthen the response capabilities of the U.S.-Japan Alliance.

US Announces (Gaza) Board of Peace Executive Committee; Includes Turkey & Qatar + Ukraine Delegation Arrives in US to Discuss Peace Agreement + US Congressional Budget Office Estimate: Lead Trump-Class Battleship Could Cost $21 Billion Jan 17, 2026

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For review:

1. US Announces (Gaza) Board of Peace Executive Committee; Includes Turkey & Qatar.

2. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said authorities “must break the back of the seditionists” and blamed US President Donald Trump for “casualties” after the Islamic Republic’s bloody crackdown on a protest wave against the country’s clerical authorities.

3. US President Donald Trump, for the first time, appeared to call on Saturday for the end of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s rule in Iran.

“It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” the President told Politico.

4. Mossad director David Barnea was reported to arrive Friday in the US for consultations on Iran’s deadly crackdown on protests and a potential American military response.

5. Ukraine Delegation Arrives in US to Discuss Peace Agreement.

Ukrainian negotiators will meet with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

6. Troops from several European countries continued to arrive in Greenland on Thursday in a show of support for Denmark as talks among representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. highlighted “fundamental disagreement” over the future of the Arctic island.

7. French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday reaffirmed that "no intimidation or threat" could influence them following US President Donald Trump's announcement to impose new tariffs on eight European countries over the Greenland dispute.

8. US Navy Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle: US defense spending needs to be rebaselined to at least 4 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product to enable the Navy to meet current readiness demands and to expand its fleet of warships to contend with future threats.

9. The first Trump-class Battleship could cost up to about $21 billion if ordered today, with the price inching toward $22 billion if ordered in 2030, according to an estimate put forward by the Congressional Budget Office.

President Trump Postpones Plan for Iran Attack; Options Remain on the Table + US Announces Phase 2 of Gaza Peace Plan + Armor Not Dead: US Army Shows M1E3 Tank Prototype at Detroit Auto Show; A Working Platform to Test Ideas Jan 15, 2026

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1. US Forces seize 6th sanctioned tanker in Caribbean Sea.

2. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday.

3. US President Donald Trump reportedly informed Iran that he won’t be ordering a strike on the country over its deadly crackdown on protesters after the leaders of four Arab countries convinced him to hold off.

4. US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday announced the launch of phase two of President Donald Trump’s plan for ending the war in Gaza, including the establishment of a new technocratic Palestinian administration for the Strip.

5. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy responded Thursday to President Trump that Ukraine was stalling a peace deal in the country’s ongoing war with Russia, saying his country will “never be a stumbling block for peace.”

The President told Reuters this week that he believes Russian President Putin is “ready to make a deal,” but “Ukraine is less ready.” The President specifically named Zelensky as the person holding up the negotiations.

6. Moscow agrees with U.S. President Donald Trump’s view that Ukraine is holding up a peace deal to end the almost four years of fighting, a Kremlin official said Thursday.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “Yes, we can agree with it, it’s indeed so.”

7. Ukrainian military resistance, with France alone providing two-thirds of Ukraine's intelligence capabilities in the war against Russia.

This was stated by French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, January 15, in his New Year's address to the army at the Istres airbase near Marseille, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.

8. The White House meeting to discuss Greenland lasted about an hour. Participating in the meeting were: U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Vivian Motzfeldt.

Denmark’s Rasmussen described the conversation as “frank but constructive,”

The U.S., Denmark and Greenland agreed to establish a high-level working group to try to determine a way forward for the self-governing Danish territory.

9. Armor Not Dead: US Army Shows M1E3 Tank Prototype at Detroit Auto Show; A Working Platform to Test Ideas.

Iranian Officials: More Than 2000 Killed in Protests: Iran Blames US and Israel + Vice President Vance & Secretary of State Rubio to Meet with Foreign Ministers from Greenland & Denmark in Washington D.C. Jan 13, 2026

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For review:

1. Latest on Iran Protests.

- Iranian Officials: More Than 2000 Killed in Protests: Iran Blames US and Israel.

- Appearing to depart from the notion of negotiating with the Iranian government, US President Donald Trump told protesters in Iran on Tuesday that “help is on its way” and urged them to keep protesting and take control of the country’s institutions.

- Israeli and Arab officials have suggested the Trump administration hold off on striking Iran for now, believing that the Islamic Republic may not be sufficiently weakened in order for an American attack to topple it.

- The Israel Defense Forces said Monday that it remained on alert for possible “surprise scenarios” as anti-government unrest in Iran has prompted the United States to threaten intervention over the killing of protesters.

- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party warned on Monday that foreign intervention in Iran could spark wider turmoil in the region.

2. The United States accused Russia on Monday of a "dangerous and inexplicable escalation" of the war in Ukraine after Moscow launched new attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv, despite ongoing U.S.-led negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.

3. Russia and China are increasingly working together in the Arctic, and their presence there will be a growing threat to NATO allies, said Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

4. Vice President Vance & Secretary of State Rubio to Meet with Foreign Ministers from Greenland & Denmark in Washington D.C..

US and Jordan Strike ISIS Targets in Syria + Human Rights Group: More Than 500 Killed in Iran Protests; President Trump Weighing Military Options + Armor Not Dead: US Army to Unveil M1E3 Prototype at Detroit Auto Show Jan 11, 2026

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1. US and Jordan Strike ISIS Targets in Syria.

2. Human Rights Group: More Than 500 Killed in Iran Protests; President Trump Weighing Military Options.

3. Hamas says it has instructed its government agencies to prepare to hand over their powers to the independent committee of Palestinian technocrats that is supposed to administer Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan.

4. Israel on Sunday carried out major airstrikes against seven Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, using more than 30 munitions in two waves of strikes, the military said.

5. A group of European countries, led by Britain and Germany, is discussing plans to boost their military presence in Greenland to show U.S. President Donald Trump that the continent is serious about Arctic security, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday.

6. EU countries should weigh whether to set up a combined military force that could eventually replace US troops in Europe, the bloc’s defense chief said Sunday.

EU defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius floated creating a “powerful, standing ‘European military force’ of 100,000 troops” as a possible option to better protect the continent.

7. The UK Friday earmarked 200 million pounds ($268 million) to prepare British troops to be deployed to Ukraine as part of a “multinational” force if a ceasefire is agreed between Moscow and Kyiv.

8. Armor Not Dead: US Army to Unveil M1E3 Prototype at Detroit Auto Show.

Iranian Protests Continue for 13th Day; Spread Across Iran's 31 Provinces + Russia Strikes Lviv with Oreshnik Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile + US Seizes Tanker in the Caribbean Sea Jan 09, 2026

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1. Iranian Protests Continue for 13th Day; Spread Across Iran's 31 Provinces.

2. During visit to Beirut, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi has said his country is seeking to open a new chapter in relations with Lebanon, at a time when Lebanon is continuing with plans to disarm Tehran's most potent proxy- Hezbollah.

3. Iran’s supreme leader signaled Friday that security forces would crack down on protesters after they screamed from windows and marched through the streets overnight, directly challenging US President Donald Trump’s pledge to support those peacefully demonstrating.

4. Report: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will escape to Moscow if his regime collapses- an intelligence report shared with The Times of Israel says.

The Supreme Leader Khamenei, 86, will flee Tehran with his aides and family members if his security forces fail to halt the growing demonstrations or desert his side amid the unrest, the report says.

5. Russia fired its new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile at the western Ukrainian city of Lviv overnight on Jan. 9, the Russian Defense Ministry said, calling the attack "retaliation" for an attempted Ukrainian drone strike on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences, a claim Kyiv has denied.

6. The US has seized another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea, US Southern Command said on Friday.

7. The head of NATO’s forces in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, said Friday the military alliance was far from being in “a crisis,” following President Donald Trump‘s threats to bring Greenland under US control.

8. Lockheed Martin says it delivered 191 F-35 Stealth Fighters in 2025, a record for the program facilitated by a backlog of jets held in storage.

US Seizes Oil Tanker in N. Atlantic Ocean + Somaliland in Talks with Israel About Possible Military Base + US Ready to Start Phase 2 of Gaza Peace Agreement + USMC Selects Industry Team for CCA Program Jan 08, 2026

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1. US Seizes Oil Tanker in N. Atlantic Ocean.

2. President Trump's advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Wednesday in Paris with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev to discuss the U.S. plan for peace in Ukraine.

3. Somaliland in Talks with Israel About Possible Military Base.

4. US Ready to Start Phase 2 of Gaza Peace Agreement.

5. The Lebanese army announced Thursday that it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah, covering the area in the country’s south between the Israeli border and the Litani River.

But Israel, which maintains a troop presence in a number of key locations in southern Lebanon to defend the border, was skeptical about the Lebanese claim.

6. President Donald Trump issued a warning to Raytheon on Wednesday, saying he would cut the defense giant’s government contracts if it does not accelerate weapons production and act to rein in stock buybacks.

7. USMC has selected a team of Northrop Grumman and Kratos to deliver the service’s first batch of drone wingmen, the companies announced today.

Under the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) program, Northrop will serve as the prime contractor, integrating mission equipment onto Kratos’s unmanned XQ-58 Valkyrie

France & UK Sign Declaration of Intent to Send Forces to Ukraine After Peace Agreement + Israel & Syria Agree to Establish Diplomatic Mechanism to Support Engagement + Iran Warns of Preemptive Strikes Against Imminent Security Threats Jan 06, 2026

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For review:

1. At least seven U.S. service members were injured during Operation Absolute Resolve, according to a Pentagon official and a person familiar with the situation.

The Cuban government said this week that 32 of its officers died in the raid.

2. France, the United Kingdom and Ukraine signed a “Declaration of Intent” on Tuesday to send their forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.

3. Israel and Syria on Tuesday agreed during the second day of talks in Paris to create a mechanism that will facilitate de-escalation, diplomacy and commercial opportunities between the two countries, according to a joint statement from the two countries and the US that was released by Washington.

4. Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met his Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani in Paris on Tuesday.

5. Israeli military intelligence has warned that Iran is plotting to assassinate Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. According to the Israeli military's assessment, al-Sharaa is facing threats from Iran alongside other hostile actors.

6. Iran Warns of Preemptive Strikes Against Imminent Security Threats.

7. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar visited Somaliland on Tuesday for the first official visit since Israel recognized the breakaway state last month, where he met with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.

8. N. Korea launches 2 x hypersonic missiles into the Sea of Japan.

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