TOP NEWS

Secretary-General: UN close to financial collapse

The UN is at risk of imminent financial collapse, writes Secretary-General António Guterres in a letter to member states seen by Reuters.

The reason is that the United States, the UN's largest contributor, has cut its funding and refused to pay mandatory fees, writes the news agency. Guterres, however, does not mention the United States in his letter.

Guterres writes that the crisis is deepening and that the situation will worsen further in the near future. The money could run out as early as July, he warns.

"Either all member states fulfill their commitments by paying in full and on time - or member states must fundamentally review our financial rules to prevent an imminent financial collapse," writes Guterres without specifying which states he is referring to.

The future of free trade
Analysis: Trump's anger gives Starmer a tricky balancing act

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to China and new trade agreements are China's latest gain over the United States, writes Reuters in an analysis. In light of Trump's "chaotic" tariff policy, Beijing is trying to paint itself as a safe and reliable partner.

Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also deepened trade relations with China. But the deals are irritating Donald Trump and highlight the balance many countries are walking in relation to the great powers.

During the China trip, Keir Starmer actually managed to balance quite well, but it was still Donald Trump's anger that made headlines, writes Sky News correspondent Mhari Aurora. When Starmer returns, he will boast about "low-hanging fruit" such as visa-free travel and regulated tariffs, but the question is still whether it was worth angering Trump, she writes.

"It's a reminder to Starmer that he must find a way to keep the special relationship at the forefront when negotiating with China."

Political situation in France
Budget marathon nears end – parliament reconvenes

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu continues to walk the very complicated path forward towards a state budget. In his speech on Friday morning, he invoked Article 49.3 of the constitution for the third time, something he promised never to do last autumn. The article allows him to push through the budget without a vote in parliament.

“France must have a budget,” he says in his speech.

The move is expected to lead to two new no-confidence votes, but these lack the necessary votes, and once the ashes have cooled, the budget is believed to finally be hammered out on Monday after four months of drama.

“The finish line of the budget marathon is near,” writes Libération.

Political situation in Denmark
Denmark moves forward with controversial deportation law

All foreign citizens who commit serious crimes and are sentenced to at least one year in prison will be deported "regardless of connection to Denmark". Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen made the announcement in her New Year's speech - and it is the proposal that is expected to be presented sharply at a press conference at 11:30 today.

The proposal is controversial because it may violate the European Convention on Human Rights, writes Ritzau. But the Danish government hopes that the European Court of Human Rights, ECHR, will change its practice, an issue it has raised in the Council of Europe. 

Security in Europe
Only 26 percent believe that the US would defend allies

Only 26 percent of Swedes trust that the US would defend a NATO country in the event of a military attack, according to an opinion poll from SVT/Verian. Significantly more, 67 percent, have low confidence that the United States would intervene.

The differences are large between groups. Among women, 15 percent have confidence in the United States' willingness to defend itself, while 38 percent of men share that view. Voters belonging to the Tidö parties are more positive than those of the opposition, 42 percent compared to 16 percent.

At the same time, trust in the United States has decreased in 21 of 32 NATO countries in the past year, according to a Gallup poll. On average, 21 percent of citizens in the alliance have confidence in the United States, compared to 35 percent two years ago.