In his State of the Union address, US President Trump reiterated claims the US “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme last year, contradicting his special envoy Steve Witkoff, who said Iran is “one week away” from a nuclear bomb.
Japan has strongly protested China’s move to restrict the export of “dual-use” items to 20 Japanese business entities that Beijing says could be used for military purposes, in the latest twist in a months-long diplomatic row between the two countries.
Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Sato Kei said at a news conference that the move by China’s Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday was “deplorable” and would “not be tolerated” by Tokyo.
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Companies affected by China’s export ban on dual-use items, or items that can be used for civilian or military purposes, include Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ shipbuilding group, aerospace and marine machinery subsidiaries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan’s National Defense Academy, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Beijing said restricting the export of dual-use items to the Japanese firms was necessary to “safeguard national security and interests and fulfil international obligations such as non-proliferation”, adding that the companies were involved in “enhancing Japan’s military strength”.
China’s Commerce Ministry said on Tuesday that it would also add another 20 entities to its export restrictions watchlist, including Japanese automaker Subaru, petroleum company ENEOS Corporation, and Mitsubishi Materials Corporation.
Chinese exporters must submit a risk assessment report for each company to ensure “dual-use items will not be used for any purpose that would enhance Japan’s military strength”, according to a statement on the Commerce Ministry’s website.
China has imposed similar restrictions on the US and Taiwan as a form of political protest, particularly over Washington’s ongoing unofficial support for the self-governed island. Beijing claims democratic Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out using force for “reunification”.
Tokyo and Beijing have a historically acrimonious relationship, but diplomatic ties took a turn for the worse in November, when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told legislators that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, which could necessitate military action.
Japan has had a pacifist constitution which restricts its use of force, but an attack on Taiwan could legally allow Tokyo to activate its army, the Self-Defence Forces, Takaichi said.
Takaichi’s remarks were some of the most explicit regarding whether Japan could become involved in a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, and have been accompanied by a push to expand Japan’s military capability.
Beijing reacted with fury to Takaichi’s remarks, discouraging Chinese citizens from visiting Japan, leading to a major drop in tourism revenue from Chinese visitors.
In January, Beijing also imposed Japanese export restrictions on rare earths like gallium, germanium, graphite and rare earth magnets that could be used for defence purposes, according to the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank.
The CSIS said at the time that “these retaliatory measures underscore rising tensions between Beijing and Tokyo and serve as a pointed warning from China to countries that take explicit positions on cross-strait relations”.
Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi has said that a deal with the United States to avert conflict is “within reach”, in advance of talks between the two countries in Geneva, Switzerland.
Araghchi said that the “historic opportunity to strike an unprecedented agreement” would depend on whether “diplomacy is given priority”, in a possible reference to US President Donald Trump’s ongoing threats to use military force against Iran.
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In a statement shared on social media on Tuesday, Iran’s top diplomat added that his country remained “crystal clear” that it would “under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon“, while also recognising the right of Iran’s people to the benefits of “peaceful nuclear technology”.
Indirect talks scheduled for Thursday in Geneva will be the third round of discussions between Washington and Tehran, mediated by Oman, which has said it hopes to see “a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalising the deal”.
Delivering his State of the Union address in Washington, DC, later on Tuesday evening, Trump again struck a belligerent tone towards Tehran. While saying that he preferred diplomacy, he accused Iran of developing missiles that could “soon reach the United States of America”.
“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are, by far, to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen,” Trump said.
Trump said that after the US attack on Iran’s nuclear sites in June 2025, “they were warned to make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons programme, in particular, nuclear weapons – yet they continue”.
“They’re starting it all over. We wiped it out, and they want to start all over again, and are at this moment, again, pursuing their sinister ambitions. We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon’,” he added.
Araghchi has been leading the negotiations on behalf of Iran, while White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have been representing the US.
Following the most recent talks in Geneva, Trump said that Tehran had 10 to 15 days to make a “meaningful deal”, while again referring to the possible threat of military intervention amid a huge US military build-up near Iran.
The talks on Thursday will take place as the US Navy has docked its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, at a NATO base on the Greek island of Crete, on its way towards the Middle East, where the US has been increasing its military presence in recent weeks.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has also been conducting military drills in the south of the country, saying that it has built “a strong fortress” in the area.
Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said that “the public mood in Iran is a mixture of different sentiments, and oscillation between fear of the war, in terms of the military build-up by the Americans in the region, and hope for diplomacy”.
Asadi said the talks were taking place alongside “public dissatisfaction”, as seen with the “massive protests” that took place across Iran in December, “initially driven by the economic hardship“.
“Right now, we also hear sounds echoing of dissatisfaction in political and social spheres, over the past three days at least, in some major universities in the capital and across the country,” he added.
Democrat Al Green was ejected from US President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address after holding up a sign reading, “Black people are not apes.” The sign refers to a post on Trump’s Truth Social account earlier this month which depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes.
In a significant foreign policy shift, Bolivia has reopened its doors to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The move, confirmed on Monday, ends a nearly two-decade hiatus in bilateral efforts to stem drug trafficking.
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Bolivian Minister of Government Marco Oviedo told local media this week that DEA agents were already operating in the country.
“The DEA is in Bolivia,” he said. “Just as the DEA is now present, we also have cooperation from European intelligence and police bodies.”
Oviedo explained that the initial focus of the law enforcement efforts would be to tighten border surveillance and dismantle trafficking networks.
He added that the cooperation with the DEA and European agencies was only the start of Bolivia’s expanded international efforts.
“We want neighbouring countries’ anti-narcotics agencies on board as well,” Oviedo said.
The announcement marks an end to an order issued under former left-wing President Evo Morales in 2008, effectively expelling all DEA agents from the country.
Morales, the leader at the time for Bolivia’s Movement for Socialism (MAS), had accused the US of using drug enforcement efforts to pressure countries in Latin America to bend to its political and economic agenda.
Under Morales, all drug enforcement cooperation with the US came to a halt, and he refused to let DEA officers into the country, accusing them of destabilising his government. Diplomatic relations were likewise suspended.
In turn, MAS received strong support from rural parts of Bolivia, where the cultivation of coca, the raw ingredient in cocaine, is a key economic driver.
Bolivia, along with other Andean countries like Colombia and Peru, is a key producer of coca, which has traditional uses, including as a remedy for altitude sickness. Morales himself led a union of coca growers, or cocaleros, before taking office.
Advocates have accused the US’s militaristic “war on drugs” of harming impoverished rural farmers through the forced eradication of coca crops. Such campaigns, they argue, can leave farmers without a means of supporting themselves and their families.
MAS remained in power from the start of Morales’s term in 2006 until 2025, when its coalition fractured amid economic instability and internal fighting.
In October 2025, two right-wing candidates proceeded to a run-off for the presidency: centrist Rodrigo Paz of the Christian Democratic Party and a former right-wing president, Jorge Quiroga.
It was the first presidential run-off in modern times for Bolivia, and it marked a sharp turn away from two decades of socialist government.
Both candidates made improving the relationship with the US a central pillar of their campaigns, viewing it as essential to solving Bolivia’s severe economic crisis.
Paz, who was educated in Washington, DC, argued that normalising ties would attract the international investment needed to modernise the energy and lithium sectors.
Meanwhile, Quiroga, a conservative who studied at Texas A&M University, campaigned on a more aggressive platform, including fiscal austerity and security partnerships with the US.
His vice presidential candidate, Juan Pablo Velasco, is credited with popularising the tagline “Make Bolivia Sexy Again”, a twist on US President Donald Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again”.
Paz ultimately emerged as the victor in the race, with nearly 54.9 percent of the vote. After his inauguration in November, Paz moved quickly to fulfil his promises by restoring diplomatic ties with the US.
The US, meanwhile, called Paz’s presidency a “transformative opportunity” for the region.
Earlier this month, both Bolivia and the US agreed to appoint ambassadors to one another’s countries for the first time in nearly 18 years.
But it is unclear to what extent the DEA will be operating in Bolivia. Left-wing leaders like Morales continue to have strong pockets of support, particularly in highland and rural areas.
Bolivian Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo has said negotiations are still under way to finalise the specific areas of cooperation between his country and the DEA, as well as operational limits for the US agency.
A full agreement outlining the scope of the agency’s activities is expected in the coming months.
Since returning to office on January 20, 2025, Trump has intensified the US campaign against drug trafficking in Latin America, including by designating several major cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations”.
Trump has also pressured Latin American governments to take more aggressive actions against the illicit drug trade, using economic sanctions and military threats as leverage.
Already, in late December and early January, Trump has authorised two strikes on Venezuela on the premise of combating drug trafficking.
One, on December 29, targeted a port that the Trump administration said was used for drug smuggling. The second, on January 3, resulted in multiple explosions, dozens dead and the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He remains in custody in the US, where he faces drug trafficking and weapons possession charges.
Critics have argued that Trump’s anti-drug campaign has blurred the line between law enforcement and military activities.
The increasing use of military force against criminal suspects has raised concerns that human rights are being violated and legal processes circumvented, including through the use of extrajudicial killings.
One example has come as part of a military campaign called Operation Southern Spear.
On September 2, the US announced the first of nearly 44 “lethal kinetic strikes” against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Italian football stands on the brink of a Champions League “debacle” – with the prospect of no Serie A clubs competing in this season’s last 16.
Since the reintroduction of the last-16 knockout round to Europe’s showpiece competition in 2003-04, there has always been at least one Italian representative – on 12 occasions in the past 22 years, there have been three.
In fact, there has been at least one Italian side in the last 16 of the competition – or first knockout round when it took other formats – every year since 1987-88, when Napoli went out in the first round of the European Cup to Real Madrid.
But Inter Milan’s shock play-off exit to Norwegian debutants Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday means either Juventus or Atalanta will have to overcome first-leg deficits to keep that run going.
Juventus trail Galatasaray 5-2 heading into a return meeting in Turin, while Atalanta are 2-0 down on aggregate before Wednesday’s home leg with Borussia Dortmund.
Inter – finalists last season – lost 2-1 at San Siro against Bodo, having suffered a 3-1 defeat in the first leg.
It is the first time the Milan giants have been knocked out of the Champions League by a team from outside Europe’s top five leagues, those from England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
“This is a big wake up for Italian football,” said Italian football journalist Daniele Verri.
“Juventus will need to win 4-0 and Atalanta need to win 3-0. [For them all to go out] would be a complete debacle, a disaster for our clubs.
Getty ImagesInter signed Ronaldo and Vieri for world-record fees in the late 1990s, when Serie A was the envy of world football, blessed with the game’s most talented stars.
AC Milan then beat Juventus to win the Champions League in 2003, losing to Liverpool on penalties in the final two years later, before defeating the Reds to become European champions again in 2007.
While there have been more recent successes in Europe’s other competitions – Atalanta won the Europa League in 2024, Roma won the Conference League in 2021 – Jose Mourinho’s Inter were the last Italian side to win the Champions League in 2010.
Inter’s European exit comes despite being 10 points clear of rivals AC Milan in Serie A and a further four ahead of defending champions Napoli, who failed to make it out of the Champions League’s league phase.
“It is a piece of history,” said journalist Vincenzo Credendino. “Speaking about Italy and Inter, this is one of the worst pieces.
“Inter are the best in Italy, but maybe it is time to think not about what can happen in one or two years, but about 10 or 15 years – and on that side we can see generally Italian football is not on the same level of top European leagues.”
The national team must also win through a play-off in March to avoid missing out on a third successive World Cup this summer, having last lifted the trophy in 2006.
“It is a difficult time for Italian football and this shows it,” added European football expert Julien Laurens on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Today, Inter Milan put pressure on but it was not enough from them. They have been the best team in Italy for the last few years. And Napoli as well, they haven’t even come close.
“It’s terrible for Italian football at the moment.”
Inter won five of their opening eight league phase games in Europe to finish 10th, with Juventus 13th and Atalanta 15th.
Yet in the play-offs, all have come unstuck against sides who finished lower in the table but play a more intense brand of football.
“What does it say about Italian football? That something needs to be changed,” added Verri.
“The level of Italian football is poor. It is a structural issue. We play very slow football. You can ask any manager in Italy and they will all say the same.
“I was talking to Claudio Ranieri the other day and he said: ‘Look, when I was in England at Leicester… people don’t train more than in Italy. They just do it with another intensity, and then they keep up that intensity during the games.’
While Inter boast a much more expensively assembled squad on far bigger wages than Bodo, who had nine Norwegians in their starting XI at San Siro, Verri says Italian clubs are seeing their best players move abroad.
Last season’s Serie A top goalscorer Mateo Retegui left for Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia, for example, while former team-mate Ademola Lookman joined Atletico Madrid and Tijjani Reijnders left AC Milan for Manchester City.
While the majority of Italy’s national squad still play in the country, stars such as Gianluigi Donnarumma, Riccardo Calafiori, Sandro Tonali and Retegui are elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Laurens believes Serie A clubs are no longer producing good enough youngsters.
“Sporting CP, Club Brugge and Bodo have similarities in their success this season. Their scouting is great and their academies perform well,” he explained.
