News from January 18, 2025 at 2 PM

Israel and Palestinian Hamas recently reached a ceasefire agreement for the Gaza Strip. Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir stated he would resign if the agreement is approved, opposing the ceasefire along with other far-right figures. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced the successful mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the US, with the first phase of the agreement set to begin on January 19th, involving Hamas releasing 33 detainees. UN Secretary-General Guterres welcomed the agreement. Israel's security cabinet is scheduled to vote on the agreement on the 17th, determining its official implementation.

Israel's Cabinet approved a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas on January 18, set to take effect on January 19. After over six hours of deliberation, the government ratified the agreement. The six-week ceasefire includes a series of hostage-for-prisoner exchanges, potentially ending the 15-month war in Gaza. Media reports indicate 24 ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition supported the deal, while eight opposed it. On January 17, the Israeli security cabinet initially voted in favor of the ceasefire. The conflict has devastated much of Gaza, killed over 46,000 people, and displaced most of its 2.3 million pre-war population multiple times. A successful ceasefire could ease tensions in the Middle East.

The US Supreme Court ruled that the 'sell or ban' law targeting TikTok does not violate the First Amendment, upholding a lower court's decision. President-elect Trump stated that the final decision on TikTok rests with him. The Supreme Court noted that TikTok is a significant platform for 170 million Americans but deemed its divestiture necessary to address data collection and national security risks. TikTok must divest by January 19 or face a complete ban. The White House declared that TikTok should remain open but must be owned by Americans. Trump plans to suspend the ban for 60 to 90 days after his inauguration, allowing TikTok to operate until a new buyer is found. Democrats are also pushing to extend the ban deadline, concerned about the negative impact on users and businesses.

The US Supreme Court upheld on January 17 a 2024 bipartisan law requiring the sale of TikTok by its Chinese parent company ByteDance on national security grounds, or face a ban in the United States. The law, passed overwhelmingly by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, puts the fate of TikTok and its 170 million American users in limbo. President-elect Donald Trump, set to be inaugurated on January 20, vowed to review the situation and rescue TikTok. Meanwhile, Trump confirmed that his inauguration will move indoors due to extreme cold weather. Additionally, the US Secretary of State and the foreign ministers of Australia, India, and Japan are expected to meet in Washington on January 21 to discuss the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.

On January 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held talks at the Kremlin, where they are expected to sign the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Iran's Ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, stated that Tehran is prioritizing cooperation with the Global East over unsuccessful attempts to collaborate with the West. The treaty aims to elevate Russia-Iran relations to a new level, solidifying their status as strategic partners, and covers areas including defense, counter-terrorism, energy, finance, transport, industry, agriculture, culture, science, and technology.

On January 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held talks and signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Russia and Iran. The treaty aims to promote economic, social, and defense development between the two countries and is not directed against any third party. The preparatory work took three years and was postponed due to incidents such as the assassination of former Iranian President Raisi. In October 2024, the leaders agreed to finalize the signing date. Analysts believe this move is intended to counter US pressure, exacerbated by the impending inauguration of President-elect Trump. Experts note that upgrading Russo-Iranian relations will contribute to regional stability, enhance cooperation in security and economic fields, and counter Western sanctions.

On January 16, 2025, SpaceX's mega rocket Starship conducted a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The flight experienced a midflight failure, resulting in the rocket exploding and debris falling, forcing several airlines to divert flights. The Federal Aviation Administration stated that the Starship rocket is grounded until SpaceX and the regulator complete an investigation and implement any required corrective actions. There were no reports of public injury, but public property damage was reported on the Turks and Caicos Islands. SpaceX initially attributed the failure to a fire in the vehicle, with social media videos showing the rocket detonating in space.

SpaceX's Starship rocket broke up during its seventh test flight on Thursday, causing dozens of commercial flights to be diverted or delayed. The Federal Aviation Administration said it briefly slowed and diverted aircraft around the area after issuing a warning about falling debris from the rocket. The rocket took off from SpaceX's facility near Brownsville, Texas, and was headed east. SpaceX stated it will continue to review flight data to understand the root cause. The FAA has not received any reports of injuries or property damage from the debris. Flights from airlines including JetBlue, FedEx, and Spirit were affected.

Brazil's government announced on Friday that Nigeria has been accepted as a partner country in the BRICS bloc. Brazil, which will hold the bloc's presidency in 2025, stated that Nigeria has been actively 'strengthening cooperation in the Global South and reforming global governance', aligning with Brazil's priorities. As the world's sixth most populous country and the largest in Africa, as well as one of the continent's largest economies, Nigeria shares converging interests with other BRICS members, according to Brazil's Foreign Ministry (Itamaraty). Nigeria joins the BRICS, which already includes eight other nations primarily from Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia.

The Brazilian Foreign Ministry announced that Nigeria has become the ninth country to join BRICS as a partner state. On January 17, during its temporary presidency of BRICS, the Brazilian government formally announced Nigeria's admission. The Brazilian government welcomed the decision of the Nigerian government. Thus, Nigeria becomes the ninth BRICS partner country, following Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan. BRICS is an interstate association founded in 2006 by Russia, China, India, and Brazil, with South Africa joining in 2011. Since the beginning of 2024, several other countries have joined BRICS.

On January 7, Donald Trump claimed that Greenland must accede to the United States, threatening to impose high trade fees on Denmark if it did not relinquish the island. Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, is protected under a 1951 treaty between Washington and Copenhagen. Trump previously proposed buying the island during his first term, but the Danish authorities rejected the idea. Currently, Greenlandic politicians are engaged in a heated debate over Trump's proposal, with some seeing it as a path to independence ahead of the Greenland Parliament elections in April 2025.

On September 12, 2023, Pele Broberg, leader of the opposition Naleraq party and former foreign minister of Greenland, stated that a US invasion of Greenland would be nonsensical, as Washington already enjoys unrestricted access to the island. Broberg noted that the US maintains several military bases on Greenland but did not disclose the exact number of troops stationed there. Earlier in January, US President-elect Donald Trump's National Security Advisor designate, Mike Waltz, indicated that Trump is open to considering all options, including the use of force, regarding Greenland. In response, Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede affirmed that the island is not for sale. Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953 and remains part of the kingdom, but it gained autonomy in 2009 with the ability to self-govern and make independent domestic policy decisions.

According to sources, US President-elect Donald Trump's team is preparing a package of sanctions aimed at facilitating a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Options under consideration include partially easing sanctions against Russian enterprises and strengthening sanctions pressure to increase leverage over Moscow. These plans are still in their early stages and ultimately depend on Trump himself. Strategy discussions involve some cabinet nominees and former sanctions experts from the first Trump administration. In June 2024, Putin outlined Russia's four prerequisites for resolving the Ukrainian conflict, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbass and Novorossiya, Kiev's renunciation of NATO membership aspirations, lifting all Western sanctions against Russia, and ensuring Ukraine's non-bloc and nuclear-free status.