Asia

• Iran: Trump steps back from threats of military action over protests 16 January 2026
  Donald Trump has stepped back, at least temporarily, from threats of US military action against Iran, saying he has been assured that the killing of protesters has stopped and that no executions are planned. He said these assurances came from ‘very important sources on the other side’, though the claims…
• Syria: government tells Kurdish forces to leave Aleppo after deadly clashes 16 January 2026
  Syria’s army has moved reinforcements to areas east of Aleppo after ordering Kurdish forces to withdraw, following deadly clashes which have killed over 100 and displaced as many as 150,000. The Islamist-led government is seeking to reassert control nationwide, but efforts to integrate the Kurds’ autonomous administration and forces into…
• Japan: search for alternative rare earth sources to avoid reliance on China 16 January 2026
  Japan has launched a bold effort to secure its future supply of critical minerals by sending a research vessel to mine rare earth elements from the deep seabed near Minamitori Island. The month-long mission marks the first attempt anywhere in the world to lift mineral-rich mud from six kilometres below…
• Thailand: at least 31 dead after crane collapses on train 16 January 2026
  A devastating rail disaster in northeast Thailand has left at least 31 people dead after a construction crane collapsed onto a speeding passenger train, causing it to derail and burst into flames. The accident occurred as the train was travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani, carrying nearly 200 passengers. More…
• Colombia: Trump will meet Petro ‘in the near future’ despite recent threats 8 January 2026
  Donald Trump has said he will meet Colombian president Gustavo Petro at the White House in the near future, amid days of rising regional tensions. The announcement followed the US operation in Venezuela on 4 January which seized president Nicolás Maduro, with Venezuelan officials claiming a far higher death toll…