MAURITIUS - Mauritius has rejected the terms of the deal to hand over the Chagos Islands in a major blow to Sir Keir Starmer. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, the country’s new prime minister, told MPs that the agreement was not good enough and must be renegotiated. In a statement to the Mauritian parliament, he said it “would not produce the benefits that the nation could expect from such an agreement”. His announcement will come as a major embarrassment to Sir Keir, who made striking the deal one of his first major foreign policy moves. The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “The Government inherited a situation where the long-term secure operation of the military base at Diego Garcia was under threat, with contested sovereignty and legal challenges. The agreement we’ve struck with Mauritius protects the long-term secure operation of the UK-US base, which plays such a crucial role in regional and international security."

Across the world, a wave of change is sweeping through established leaderships, and it’s thrilling to watch.

USA - President-elect Donald Trump said Monday “the government knows what is happening” concerning mysterious drones spotted flying over numerous states in recent weeks. At a news conference from his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Trump stated: “The government knows what is happening. Look, our military knows where they took off from. If it’s a garage, they can go right into that garage. They know where it came from and where it went. For some reason, they don’t want to comment. And I think they would be better off saying what it is. Our military knows and our president knows. For some reason, they want to keep people in suspense."

USA - Who Is Running the UAV Invasion, and Why? Here, the main hypothesis is that it’s a PSYOP, either being waged by the outgoing Biden Administration, or from other deep state elements, or else by foreign adversaries or enemies.

USA - Satanists set up their first ever ‘holiday’ display at the Minnesota Capitol Building. “Hail Satan!” the Minnesota Satanists said in celebration of their display. Last year veteran Michael Cassidy beheaded a satanic altar in the Iowa capital over the holidays. The altar to Baphomet was installed by the Satanic Temple, with approval from the Iowa Legislature. It featured a goat’s head on a red-caped mannequin holding a crimson pentagram wreath. Cassidy was later charged with a hate crime.

GERMANY - Early elections are now slated to be held on February 23. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in parliament on Monday, paving the way for snap elections early next year. The outcome was expected after Scholz’s government coalition collapsed in November over a budget dispute. A total of 394 ballots were cast against Scholz, with 207 in his favor and 116 abstentions. Scholz, who will lead his Social Democratic Party (SPD) into the February election, reportedly smiled when the result was announced and shook the hand of Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck.

GERMANY - Germany must ask whether NATO membership “is still useful for us,” Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Tino Chrupalla has said, arguing that the US-led military bloc forces Europe to act in America’s interests. ”Europe has been forced to implement America’s interests. We reject that,” Chrupalla told German daily Welt on Sunday. ”NATO is currently not a defense alliance,” he continued. “A defense community must accept and respect the interests of all European countries, including Russia’s interests. If NATO cannot ensure that, Germany must consider to what extent this alliance is still useful for us,” he explained.

CANADA - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on the brink of resigning as his liberal government crumbles around him, according to CTV News. Trudeau, 52, is 'considering his options as leader', sources have told the broadcaster, while his Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland revealed she will quit. Freeland quit on Monday after clashing with Trudeau on issues including how to handle possible US tariffs, dealing a huge blow to an already unpopular government. In a stinging resignation letter, Freeland dismissed Trudeau's push for increased spending as a political gimmick that could hurt Ottawa's ability to deal with the 25 percent import tariffs US President-elect Donald Trump says he will impose. The resignation by Freeland, 56, who also served as deputy prime minister, is one of the biggest crises Trudeau has faced since taking power in November 2015. It also leaves him without a key ally when he is on track to lose the next election to the official opposition Conservatives.

UK - Glasgow’s fleet of high-tech electric buses may be helping the city reach its green targets but a change in climate has revealed an unfortunate glitch in the system. Passengers have complained about a spate of vehicle breakdowns caused by the battery-powered buses losing their charge in the recent cold snap. First Bus’s double-deckers ground to a halt mid-route as the recent sub-zero temperatures caused the batteries to drain more quickly than usual. A spokesman for First Bus said the company is “aware of challenges” relating to the range of its electric vehicles (EVs) when temperatures fall significantly below freezing.

ISRAEL - Israel has paved the way for a decisive strike against Iran’s nuclear programme by eliminating swathes of Syria’s military infrastructure, according to officials speaking to The Telegraph following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Israel’s air force and navy is estimated to have destroyed around 80 per cent of the Syrian army’s equipment since Islamist rebels seized Damascus last Sunday, including air defence systems that may have been used to protect Iran against any attack. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has long called for Iran’s nuclear programme to be stopped in its tracks but has faced resistance from his military officials and the US.

ISRAEL - Israel is reportedly preparing for a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear programme ahead of the second term at the White House of Donald Trump. The claim comes as concerns mount about Tehran’s progress towards developing nuclear weapons, particularly given its increasingly close ties with Moscow. Israeli officials view this cooperation as potentially boosting Iran’s defences and complicating efforts to prevent its nuclear advancement. Defence Minister Israel Katz recently claimed that Iran’s nuclear facilities are “more exposed than ever” following prior Israeli military operations, though these efforts have not yet thwarted Iran’s ability to enrich uranium at near-weapons-grade levels​. Israeli media cited by Fox News suggest the country’s air force is consequently readying itself for a potential strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

IRAN - Experts warn Iran faces 'global ruin' after fall of Assad in Syria. With its proxy Hezbollah decimated, resupply routes though Syria lost, and the prospect of US President Donald Trump's reversion to a "maximum pressure" policy anticipated next year, Iran's fortunes face an irreversible decline. Iran is “facing ruin on the global stage” with the prospect of tough sanctions and a ruined reputation following a series of strategic losses, experts warned last night.

SYRIA - Syria is too tired of conflict to challenge Israel, its new leader said in his first attempt to answer the outside world’s questions over the country’s future after the downfall of Bashar al-Assad. Abu Mohammed al-Jolani — now referring to himself by his real name, Ahmed al-Shara, rather than his nom de guerre — told Syrian television that from now on he would seek diplomatic solutions to the country’s numerous crises. In his televised speech, Jolani tried to play down fears that under HTS Syria would become a new source of regional instability, though he did not condone Israel’s airstrikes targeting regime military facilities since Assad fled to Moscow. “Israeli arguments have become weak and no longer justify their recent violations,” he said. “The Israelis have clearly crossed the lines of engagement in Syria, which poses a threat of unwarranted escalation in the region. The current stage requires careful management of international relations,” Jolani said in his speech.

USA - For millions of Americans, seeking medical care has become an exhausting, sometimes unaffordable ordeal. Even those with insurance often face unexpected bills, denied claims and crippling out-of-pocket expenses. The system of American healthcare has been described for years as “broken” by practitioners, politicians and the public. How widespread is medical debt, and how much do people owe? Despite 305 million Americans having some form of health insurance, medical debt remains a pernicious problem. Some 20 million people owe an estimated $220 billion, according to the 2023 census. About 14 million people owe more than $1,000, while three million owe more than $10,000. An estimated 550,000 Americans who file for bankruptcy each year cite medical bills as the primary cause. An unpaid medical bill will affect a patient’s credit score, making it more expensive to get a bank loan.

UK - Only two of the Navy’s leading battleships are currently operational with two-thirds of the vessels currently languishing in the repair yard, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has admitted. It comes as the size of the Navy’s surface fleet of destroyers and frigates reached a historic low despite increasing conflict across the globe. Of the six state-of-the-art Type 45 destroyer ships currently in the Navy’s surface fleet, four are currently in the refit yard at Portsmouth. The ships are undergoing a programme of improvements.