Top story per country this week, ranked by coverage volume. Select a story to visit the full country summary, or a region name to visit the region overview.
Frontline and Eastern Europe
Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia created a military “Schengen zone” this week, allowing their troops to move freely across shared borders.
Finland
Social Democratic Party harassment scandal hits opposition leadership
Poland
Jarosław Kaczyński hospitalized with respiratory infection
Lithuania
Zelensky visits Lithuania for 1863-1864 uprising commemoration and bilateral talks
Romania
NATO chief warns Europe cannot defend itself without US support
Estonia
Foreign minister pushes EU-wide entry ban for Russian war veterans
Latvia
Constitution Protection Bureau warns of escalating Russian security threats to Latvia and Europe
Ukraine
Security Service releases compilation video of drone strikes destroying Russian aircraft worth $1 billion
Czech Republic
Speaker sparks controversy over Ukrainian flag display on Charles Bridge
Western Europe
France, Germany, and Poland are each independently pursuing greater independence from US influence through different strategies.
France
Prime Minister passes 2026 budget via Article 49.3 after surviving multiple censure motions
Italy
Growing tensions between Salvini and Vannacci within Lega over party direction
Germany
Christian Democratic Union sparks controversy over plan to restrict right to part-time work
United Kingdom
Labour blocks Andy Burnham from by-election, triggering party tensions
Spain
Government faces opposition pressure over Adamuz train accident response
Norway
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund posts record $247 billion return in 2025
Sweden
Sweden Democrats leader injures head in nightmare, misses parts of Jerusalem antisemitism conference
Asia-Pacific
Taiwan’s TSMC and Samsung posted record profits this week as AI demand surges, with Nvidia becoming TSMC’s top customer and Samsung’s operating profit tripling.
Japan
Prime Minister’s Liberal Democratic Party leads in polls ahead of February 8 snap election
Taiwan
Nvidia overtakes Apple as TSMC’s largest customer amid AI chip demand surge
Australia
Reserve Bank expected to raise interest rates as inflation exceeds forecasts
South Korea
Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee sentenced to 20 months for bribery in luxury gifts case
Indonesia
Sovereign wealth fund announces major stock market investment strategy amid crisis
Near East and South Asia
Turkey is positioning itself as a mediator, Saudi Arabia is balancing between the US and Iran, and the UAE has declared neutrality as Middle Eastern powers pursue separate strategies amid US-Iran tensions.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia drastically scales back NEOM megaproject, pivots toward data centers
India
Home Minister conducts multi-state political tour targeting infiltration and opposition
Turkey
Turkey positions itself as mediator between US and Iran amid regional tensions
United Arab Emirates
Foreign Minister conducts diplomatic outreach with multiple foreign officials
The Americas
Trump’s administration tested allies across the Americas, with Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Chile each responding differently.
Canada
Pierre Poilievre wins Conservative leadership review with 87.4% support
Brazil
Petrobras announces gas price cuts and reports record reserves growth
Mexico
Mexico suspends oil shipments to Cuba amid US presidential pressure
Chile
CODELCO corruption scandal investigation advances with Vivanco detention and new testimony