Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian:

After the currency’s devaluation, my monthly salary as president is about $1,000.

Iran’s President said the country is ready to open its nuclear sites for “any verification” to prove it is not building nuclear weapons, amid ongoing talks to avoid possible US military action.

Kremlin:

Macron and Merz can simply call Putin — he has never refused direct contacts.

Turkish national oil company TPAO and BP signed a Memorandum of Understanding to deepen cooperation in oil and natural gas.

The agreement provides a comprehensive framework covering development of existing fields, joint evaluation of new exploration opportunities, oil export capacity, and natural gas transport infrastructure—both in Türkiye and internationally.

German carmaker Mercedes-Benz’s profits nearly halved in 2025 due to U.S. tariffs, weak China sales, currency headwinds, and a tough luxury car market.

Net profit: €5.3B (–49% YoY)

“I dedicate this award to Donald Trump,” Thierry Breton joked after being named European of the Year.

A few months ago, the U.S. imposed sanctions on him over alleged “extraterritorial censorship” linked to EU digital laws.

Breton was a key architect of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

Zimbabwe’s cabinet on Tuesday backed a bill to extend presidential terms from five to seven years and allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030.

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Two U.S. Navy ships collided Wednesday during a refueling operation in waters near South America, leaving two personnel with minor injuries.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun and the supply ship USNS Supply were conducting an at-sea replenishment when the incident occurred, according to U.S. Southern Command.

Both injured individuals are in stable condition, and the ships remain operational.

The cause of the collision is under investigation.

Source: WSJ

Europe Losing Ground to China

European leaders warned that China’s rapid industrial rise and state-backed investment model are reshaping global competition, urging the EU to cut dependencies, speed up decision-making, and defend its industry without sliding into isolationism.

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UAE-linked RSF targeted a mosque in Ahmed al-Badawi Quranic complex, Ali al Karar school and other sites in North Kordofan on Wednesday, killing 2 children and injuring 13.

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The International Auschwitz Committee is calling for a ban on the AfD and urges Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt to start legal proceedings.

Eva Umlauf, an Auschwitz survivor and the committee’s President, said the AfD attacks democracy and uses Nazi-era references that are unbearable for Holocaust survivors.

Dobrindt is skeptical, saying there is not enough legal basis for a ban.

Source: Der Spiegel

Syria says its economy could grow close to 10% in 2026, nearly double last year’s pace, after the US eased sanctions.

Finance Minister Mohamed Yisr Barnieh cited improved stability, the return of skilled Syrians and new investment opportunities as key drivers.

Growth in 2025 was about 5%.

Source: Bloomberg

Ukraine's Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov:

We eliminated 35,000 Russians in December, 30,000 in January.

Our strategy is working.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever:

China and the United States have become protectionist.

Others protect their markets and dump products on ours.

EU's Kaja Kallas:

I’m a liberal, so I don’t believe in protectionism, because in the long term I think it is best for our companies if they are truly competitive.

If we make ourselves stronger, then our products are competitive and we don’t need protection.

That being said, we also have to deal with the economic practices coming from China that greatly damage our companies.

Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán presents his “solution:”

First, stop the war. War is bad for business. Look for peace.

Second, don’t send your money to somebody else if you need it for your competitiveness. So don’t send the money to Ukraine.

Third, reduce and cut back energy prices as much as you can. That’s so simple.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen:

We should never have made ourselves dependent on Russian oil and gas.

It is also wrong that we made ourselves dependent on China for new technologies.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever:

We risk losing the entire petrochemical and steel sectors. Energy costs are killing them.

Without those sectors, you produce nothing — not even defense equipment.

We would become totally dependent on the United States and China.

Without these sectors, all dreams of strategic autonomy disappear.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever:

If we deindustrialize, the world will still get warmer — and we will just get poorer.

Factories are opening massively in China and the United States. In Europe, they are closing.

Energy-intensive companies may need to be subsidized through the storm. I do not like subsidies, but it may be necessary.

We must temporarily relieve companies of administrative burdens.

They are begging for it.

Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez:

Nicolás Maduro is the legitimate President of Venezuela.

Maduro and his wife are both innocent.

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Kristen Welker: Who is in charge in Venezuela? You or Trump?

Delcy Rodríguez: I am in charge of the Presidency of Venezuela.

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