Author: staff
Iran is often described as a sleeping economic giant. The country of over 85 million people holds vast oil and gas reserves, as well as occupying a strategic location linking the Middle East, Central Asia, and Europe. Even so, the nation trades far below its potential because of decades of sanctions. The scale and persistence of the recent protest movement has revived hopes of a future inflection point — one that could force a political break and, eventually, a reopening to trade. If that happened, the consequences would extend far beyond Iran’s borders. After decades of isolation, the country could…
By Euronews Published on 22/01/2026 – 12:38 GMT+1 Held at the Euronews Hub at the Hotel Davoserhof on January 20, the invitation-only event looked at the ways in which tourism can contribute to economic growth, job creation and international cooperation at a time of global uncertainty. Opening the programme, Gombojav Zandanshatar, prime minister of Mongolia, set out Mongolia’s view of tourism as a central element of its development strategy. Speaking about the country’s efforts to diversify its economy, he said, “Tourism is viewed as the second sector of Mongolia. This is the strategic pillar of our economic diplomacy and long-term drive…
Merz urged European nations to move swiftly to boost their defense spending and economic competitiveness in order to be able to exert power amid the “tectonic” shifts in the global order. At the same time, he urged Germans and other Europeans not to give up on the transatlantic alliance and NATO, advocating, in effect, a middle path. “Despite all the frustration and anger of recent months, let us not be too quick to write off the transatlantic partnership,” Merz said, switching briefly to German. “We Europeans, we Germans, know how precious the trust on which NATO is based is.” Merz…
US envoy Steve Witkoff says Trump is considering ideas like a “tariff-free zone” for Ukraine that could help industry develop in the war-torn country. “The president has talked about a tariff free zone from Ukraine that I think would be game changing,” Witkoff said at the Ukrainian Breakfast on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday. “I think we made a lot of progress. I think in the beginning of this process there was a little bit of confusion. I was going to Moscow quite a bit but I think it was important that we go…
By Seth Borenstein with AP Published on 22/01/2026 – 12:03 GMT+1 Warm Arctic waters and cold continental land are combining to stretch the dreaded polar vortex in a way that will send much of the United States a devastating dose of winter weather later this week. The country is expecting swaths of painful subzero temperatures, heavy snow and powerline-toppling ice. Meteorologists said the eastern two-thirds of the nation is threatened with a winter storm that could rival the damage of a major hurricane and has some origins in an Arctic that is warming from climate change. They warn that the frigid weather is…
Published on 22/01/2026 – 11:34 GMT+1 People in Denmark are turning to mobile apps to help them boycott American products in a push back against US President Donald Trump’s recent comments about acquiring Greenland, a Danish territory. Danish shoppers have been using two apps in particular to help identify American-made goods and suggest local alternatives—sending these apps soaring to the top of Denmark’s app charts. One of the apps, called UdenUSA or NonUSA in English, is climbing the charts and is currently the most downloaded app in the country, just above ChatGPT, on the App Store. The app allows users…
Published on 22/01/2026 – 10:46 GMT+1 Another day, another page in the history books for Taylor Swift. The high priestess of pop has been become the youngest female artist to be inducted into the America’s Songwriters Hall of Fame. The 36-year-old has undeniably shaped pop music trends over her relatively short but sensational career and will be formally invited to join the prestigious club at a New York ceremony in June. Before Swift’s induction, the record holder was Carole Bayer Sager, who was 43 when she became a member in 1987. This year inductees will also include Kiss founders Gene…
“We do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace when we have still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine,” she added. The foreign secretary stressed Britain will still provide practical support for the Palestinian committee which is due to run Gaza and ensure humanitarian aid reaches citizens and Hamas’ weapons are decommissioned. She stressed “the other crucial issue that has a direct impact on U.K. security is getting a peace agreement for Ukraine. “And so far we have seen no sign that…
Updated: 22/01/2026 – 10:09 GMT+1 Donald Trump’s announcement of a draft agreement on Greenland was met with scepticism on the streets of Nuuk, the autonomous Danish island’s capital. After weeks of increasingly bellicose rhetoric about seizing Greenland, Trump said at Davos that he had reached a draft framework agreement. … More
Global stock markets rallied on Thursday as US President Donald Trump rolled back tariff threats linked to Greenland. Attending the World Economic Forum’s annual summit in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said he had agreed the “framework of a future deal” on Greenland after meeting with Mark Rutte, NATO’s secretary-general. The president claimed he would not use military force to seize the island from Denmark, and also dropped plans to impose extra tariffs on European countries from 1 February. Details of the future deal are scarce, although investors were visibly cheered by the de-escalation. Just after the opening bell in Europe, France’s…