Morning bird: Trump negotiated with the interim president of Venezuela, Rodríguez. The Greenland government stated that Denmark and its allies will increase military presence on the island.
The partnership between the United States and Venezuela will be magnificent for everyone, stated US President Donald Trump after a phone call with the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez. In recent weeks the American administration has openly talked about its ambitions to acquire Greenland, which is a Danish autonomous territory. Denmark, together with its NATO allies, is therefore also increasing its military presence around Greenland, as part of a pledge to strengthen defense in the Arctic.
Venezuela is getting closer to the United States
President of the United States Donald Trump on Wednesday held a phone call with the interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez about oil, mineral resources, and trade. The call was described as very good on his Truth Social network.
"We are making tremendous progress in helping to stabilize and restore Venezuela. A range of topics were discussed including oil, mineral resources, trade and of course national security,"
Trump wrote on his network.
According to Rodríguez, the call was courteous and productive, reported the portal Ceskenoviny.cz.
Sweden and Norway have already sent their soldiers to Greenland
The Greenland government announced that Denmark, along with NATO allies, is increasing military presence around Greenland as part of a pledge to strengthen defense in the Arctic. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on the X network that some Swedish army officers have already arrived on the Arctic island. Norway has taken the same step. Military units in the area are undergoing training to prepare them for operations in Arctic conditions. The aim of the exercises is to enhance the operational readiness of the North Atlantic Alliance in the region and to increase its security, wrote the server Ceskenoviny.cz.
China's trade surplus increased by 20 percent
China's trade surplus last year sharply increased to a record nearly 1.2 trillion dollars. For comparison, in 2024 it was more than 992 billion dollars. Last year's exports increased by 5.5 percent to 3.77 trillion dollars. Export to other countries compensated for the slowdown in deliveries to the United States, which was caused by higher tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump. However, imports stagnated and reached 2.58 trillion dollars, reported CNN.
Singer Julio Iglesias has been accused of sexual assault
Grammy award-winning singer Julio Iglesias allegedly sexually assaulted two former employees in his residences in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. The Spanish prosecutor's office stated that it had received a formal accusation against Iglesias from an unnamed party on January 5th. He could face a court in Madrid, which can trial alleged criminal acts committed by Spanish citizens while abroad, said the agency AP.
Amateur Tennis Player Smith beat Sinner and won One Point Slam
Amateur Jordan Smith sensationally surprised the star-studded field on Wednesday and won in the tennis tournament, which was attended by a number of the best professional tennis players, a prize of one million Australian dollars, which is just under 21 million crowns in conversion. The packed One Point Slam sudden death tournament, which was held in the sold-out Rod Laver Arena, had completely different favourites - for example Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and among women Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff. The event heralded the prestigious Australian Open, which starts this Sunday, noted Al Jazeera.
Sources: Ceskenoviny.cz, CNN, Al Jazeera, AP
