22 January 2026
United Kingdom
Despite concerns about espionage, the UK government has approved plans for the new Chinese mega-embassy. The embassy will be at the site of the two-century-old Royal Mint Court near the Tower of London, but local residents still plan to wage legal action against the construction. Concerns about espionage arose from the location of the proposed embassy and the UK’s fibre-optic cables.
The only sea-worthy Astute-class submarine, the HMS Anson, is departing Faslane for Australia. The Royal Navy has five nuclear-powered Astute-class attack submarines, but only the Anson is fit for operational duty.. The submarine was the last of the five to be commissioned in 2022.
Sudan
The Sudanese government is considering a new truce proposal with the RSF. Discussions with the Quad (US, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia) have failed to reach a ceasefire. The Sudanese government also believes that the UAE is arming the RSF paramilitary group. The United Nations says the war has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises – with civilians facing displacement, hunger, disease, and widespread human rights abuses by both sides.
Syria
After a lightning new offensive against the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, the Syrian government has given the SDF four days to agree on integrating into the central state, which their main ally, the United States, urged them to accept. The United States stated that they do not have any long-term plan to stay in the country and that the original degradation campaign against ISIS has largely been completed.
US CENTCOM launched an effort to transfer the 7,000 ISIS detainees from al-Hol to Iraq. The US has already transferred 150 detainees, but now has to increase efforts to ensure that the terrorists remain in secure detention facilities.
United States
There has been an about-face on Greenland with Trump after meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Trump has backed off his tariff threat against Europe and says a framework deal has been reached with Greenland. Some suggest that it gives the US sovereignty over its bases in the country – something that was already in place.
The “Board of Peace” has been launched at Davos. The original signatories are: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam. The original aim of the Board of Peace was to provide relief and oversee peace in Gaza, but the new draft resolution of the Board seems to set a wider global goal.
US-Cuba
The US is reportedly searching for Cuban government insiders who can help overthrow the communist government by the end of the year. The Trump administration has assessed Cuba’s economy as being close to collapse and that the government has never been this fragile after losing a vital benefactor in Maduro.
Germany
Germany has expelled a Russian diplomatic official it accuses of spying. The Russian ambassador was summoned and notified of the expulsion. In a statement posted on social media, the Foreign Office said the federal government does not tolerate espionage on German soil, “especially not under the cover of diplomatic status.” It said the individual had been acting on behalf of Russia.
EU
The EU Parliament voted to send the Mercosur trade deal to the EU’s Court of Justice to check the legality of the agreement. This is expected to delay ratification by a year. Opponents, led by France — the EU’s largest agricultural producer — say theMercosur deal could increase imports of cheap beef, sugar and poultry, undercutting domestic farmers. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took to social media soon after news of the vote, calling the result “regrettable” and saying it “misjudges the geopolitical situation.”
Social media wires
Iraq purchases tanks from South Korea
The popularity of Pakistan’s Field Marshal Munir is demonstrated at Davos
Featured Photo: “HMS Ambush returning to Scotland” – Wikimedia Commons, 2026
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.