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Reuters World News

Greenland, Minnesota, Beckhams and a Chinese embassy

20 Jan 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What does Trump's Nobel Peace Prize snub mean for his Greenland ambitions?

0.031 - 30.026 Unknown

The Greenland fight is heating up, with Trump saying missing out on the Nobel Peace Prize means he's not bound to pursue peace. We hear from the man ICE officers dragged nearly naked into the snow in Minnesota. And spy base or diplomacy hub? China's mega embassy in London looks set to get the green light.

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This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. President Trump is linking his bid to take over Greenland to his Nobel Peace Prize snub, saying because he didn't get the award, he no longer feels obliged to, quote, think purely of peace. He made the comments in a text to the prime minister of Norway.

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Reporter Nora Bulli in Oslo says that was in response to a message aimed at calming the Greenland rhetoric. It kind of did the opposite. If you look at it, it also arrived very promptly. It wasn't half an hour between the two exchanges by the timestamps we'd seen. It went straight into sort of making a link between the non-giving of the Nobel Peace Prize.

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which is awarded by the Nobel Committee, which is based in Oslo, Norway, but is not affiliated to the Norwegian government. It's not the government who gives the prize or influences who receives the prize. I think it has come as a, I guess, certain shock and surprise.

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Chapter 2: What happened to ChongLy Thao during the ICE incident in Minnesota?

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Norway is very used to seeing the US as an ally they can trust. Nora says Norway's prime minister has now changed his plans and will be going to Davos this week. He wasn't originally scheduled to head to the World Economic Forum in Davos, but there was a message that he will be attending now on Wednesday and Thursday, which are also the days when the US president will be there.

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There was no direct link in the communication from the prime minister's office that this was the mere reason. But obviously, given the event, the day stands to reason that that is a key, a reason behind going. Trump has confirmed he's sent out more invitations for his Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts. Russia's President Vladimir Putin has got one.

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And this is what Trump had to say when he heard French President Emmanuel Macron is planning to decline the invitation.

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155.875 - 163.283 Donald Trump

What I'll do is if they feel like costo, I'll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes and he'll join.

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The heat over Greenland is rattling markets, which were closed yesterday for a holiday. Here's Amanda Cooper from our sister podcast, Morning Bid.

173.908 - 194.35 Amanda Cooper

Hey, Kim. Well, U.S. traders are coming back after a long weekend to find stock futures lower, Treasuries under pressure, and the dollar falling against safe haven currencies, particularly as investors worry about whether Trump's tariff threats over Greenland are going to prompt a widespread push out of U.S. markets again, as they did in April last year, albeit briefly.

Chapter 3: How does the new Chinese embassy in London raise security concerns?

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Thanks, Amanda.

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You can catch Morning Bid wherever you get your podcasts. The Trump administration is appealing a federal ruling that restricts how U.S. immigration agents operate in Minneapolis, blocking them from arresting or tear gassing peaceful demonstrators. It comes as outrage grows over the case we told you about yesterday of an older man in St.

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Paul who was dragged into the snow by ICE agents wearing only his underwear and a small blanket. The video was captured by Reuters journalist Maria Alejandro Cardona.

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230.224 - 244.061 Maria Alejandro Cardona

Then all of a sudden, I'm telling our security advisor, hey, that's another ICE vehicle. Oh, look, there's one behind us. And then all of a sudden, he tells me, agents are out, agents are out. And it's like, grab our gear, get out of the car immediately and film.

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Maria's footage went viral. She went back to the house to meet the man, Chongli Scott Tao, who goes by Scott, to get the full story.

252.852 - 257.077 Maria Alejandro Cardona

So it seemed that his daughter-in-law was in the home with him. He was in his bedroom.

Chapter 4: What are the implications of the ceasefire between Syria and the Kurdish forces?

257.097 - 267.59 Maria Alejandro Cardona

He was on like a conference call with some friends. They were doing karaoke. And his grandson was in the living room sleeping. So right by the door, actually.

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267.63 - 276.801 ChongLi Scott Tao

And daughter-in-law came to the room and said, Dad, there's ice out there. I'm like, what? Dad, there's ice out there.

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Agents using a battering ram broke down the front door.

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281.484 - 291.953 Maria Alejandro Cardona

She grabs her son, and they run into his bedroom, and they lock the bedroom door. And he says that they knocked, asking to, you know, come out, and he unlocks the door.

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291.973 - 295.737 ChongLi Scott Tao

And then suddenly there's a gun pointed at us.

296.557 - 300.401 Maria Alejandro Cardona

And they're scared. They say, hey, you, you got to come with us.

301.041 - 304.965 ChongLi Scott Tao

I did, and then suddenly they just handcuffed me.

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Chongli Scott Tao is a naturalised US citizen who says he came to the US with his mother from Laos when he was four.

Chapter 5: How is the U.S. recalibrating its alliances in Syria?

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He says his daughter-in-law went to get his ID, but agents didn't want to wait.

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318.091 - 323.764 ChongLi Scott Tao

So within this whole time, he felt...

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323.744 - 329.21 Maria Alejandro Cardona

like sheer embarrassment, fear and just like humiliation.

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The Department of Homeland Security says officers were investigating two convicted sex offenders at the address and that a US citizen living there refused to be fingerprinted or be facially identified, so he was detained. Tao says agents drove him around for an hour, took his photos and fingerprints, then brought him home.

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349.394 - 350.916 ChongLy Thao

I'm thankful that

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God help me, bring me back home safe.

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Immigrant rights were a big part of Dr Martin Luther King Day for demonstrators marching in King's birthplace, Atlanta.

367.535 - 373.406 ChongLi Scott Tao

We all have rights. And I think that's what MLK would say about ICE, that they're violating those rights.

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Union member Brandon Beecham there saying ICE is not upholding King's legacy. He was joined by hundreds of others calling for an end to all forms of social injustice. celebrations in Raqqa, northeast Syria, as the government announces a ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF.

Chapter 6: What are the family tensions revealed by Brooklyn Beckham's Instagram post?

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The developments put Washington in a tricky situation, given both the Kurds and Syria's new government have been allies. Syria Bureau Chief Maya Jabali explains.

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433.837 - 454.369 Maya Jabali

The U.S. has had to essentially recalibrate its alliances in Syria over the past 15 months. The Kurds were their main ally. They helped them defeat the Islamic State over years of fighting in the north and east of the country. But since shut-out forces ousted Bashar al-Assad from power, Washington has been building increasingly close ties with him and his government.

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454.81 - 470.903 Maya Jabali

So a battle in which those two U.S. allies are being pitched against one another has been very complicated for the U.S., But overall, it does look like the Americans have sided just a little bit more closely with Shaddaa than they have with the Kurds. And what we're hearing from Kurdish officials is the sense that the U.S.

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has abandoned them and that it did not intervene to stop this offensive in the ways that the Kurds were hoping it would.

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Demonstrators turned out in London over the weekend, angry over the possible opening of a new large Chinese embassy. The UK government is going ahead, despite concerns that it would pose a national security risk. Andrew McCaskill in London explains why.

Chapter 7: Who was Valentino and what legacy did he leave in the fashion world?

497.017 - 521.397 Andrew McCaskill

This has been opposed by many politicians, both in Britain and the United States, who think this very large embassy could be used as a base for spying. It's also an example of how China is using its increased power to get what it wants. For example, Britain also wants to rebuild its much, much smaller embassy in Beijing.

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521.798 - 528.913 Andrew McCaskill

But China has denied Britain the right to do so unless it's able to build this much bigger embassy.

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And, Andrew says, it's put Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a difficult position.

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534.544 - 563.835 Andrew McCaskill

On the one hand, Starmer's made improving ties with China one of his main foreign policy priorities. He's desperate for Chinese investment to meet his target to revive Britain's anemic economic growth. But on the other hand, he's been told by lots of politicians that allowing China this position Very large embassy is going to leave Britain vulnerable for potentially decades to come.

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And finally, all is not well at Brand Beckham. Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, the eldest son of David and Victoria Beckham, says he's cut ties with his family in a post on Instagram. He accuses his parents of years of control, public pressure and media manipulation. David and Victoria have yet to publicly respond.

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And for today's Recommended Read, a look back at the life of fashion designer Valentino, who's died aged 93. Valentino Garavani, known to the world simply as Valentino, built a global fashion empire. His designs are described as graceful, sophisticated and feminine, bringing a new colour to the fashion world, which became known as Valentino Red.

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You can read more and see some of his creations by following the link in the description. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast player. If you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters seven days a week. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.

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