8 January 2026
United States
Trump called for defence spending to rise by 50% to $1.5 trillion by 2027. This would allow for the creation of a “dream military”. In separate posts, Trump also targeted defence contractors for not speeding up deliveries of weapons or creating new defence manufacturing plants.
Iran
Today marks the 12th day of protests in Iran against the country’s dire economic crisis. On Wednesday, an Iranian police officer was stabbed to death west of Tehran “during efforts to control unrest”, the Iranian Fars news agency said. Iraq-based Iranian Kurdish opposition parties, including the Komala party, which is outlawed by Tehran, called for a general strike on Thursday in Kurdish-populated areas in western Iran which have seen intense protest activity. Reza Pahlavi, the son of the ousted shah, said the turnout on Wednesday had been “unprecedented” in this wave of demonstrations and called for major new protests.
Trump-UN
President Donald Trump will withdraw the US from 66 international and UN organizations, which he said do not serve the interests of the United States. The US will leave the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, among many others.
Ukraine
Over one million people are without electricity or water after Russian strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Russia has been intensifying strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in recent weeks.
Russia
With the seizure of the Bella 1 oil tanker, Russia states that it will only create further military-political tensions between the two countries. Moscow also says that it is completely unacceptable that the crew will be prosecuted by the United States and insists that they should be freed.
Saudi Arabia-Yemen
Saudi Arabia accused the UAE of smuggling Aidarous al-Zubaidi, leader of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), out of Yemen “in the dead of night” on Wednesday on board a vessel that departed Aden in Yemen for the port of Berbera in Somaliland. From there, he travelled to the UAE with Emirati security officers.
Social media wires
Some remarkable and alarming statements from JD Vance.
The US Coast Guard is escorting the Bella 1 oil tanker after its seizure
Featured Photo: “Trump meets troops in Germany” – Wikimedia Commons, 2026
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The Wires Brief is a daily breaking news report incorporating wire service news and social media updates. DefRep cannot verify the authenticity of social media reporters nor the accuracy of social media updates. Feature photos are altered with grayscale.