Kuwait Times

18/01/2026

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Sunday that any attack on the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would mean a declaration of war.

“An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation,” Pezeshkian said in a post on X in an apparent response to US President Donald Trump saying it was time to look for a new leader in Iran.

18/01/2026

France’s President Emmanuel Macron will ask the European Union to activate its powerful “anti-coercion instrument” if the United States imposes tariffs in the standoff over Greenland, his team said Sunday.

The bloc’s weapon — never used before and dubbed its trade “bazooka” — allows for curbing imports of goods and services, and has been invoked as a way to push back over tech and trade, and now the Danish territory US President Donald Trump wants to acquire.

18/01/2026

US President Donald Trump sent invitations on Sunday to the leaders of Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan to join the ‘Board of Peace’ that is to supervise the temporary governance of Gaza.

Jordan’s foreign ministry said on Sunday that King Abdullah received an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join the board. The foreign ministry said it was currently reviewing related documents within the country’s internal legal procedures.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also received Trump’s invitation to join the board, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement on Sunday.

“Pakistan will remain engaged with international efforts for peace and security in Gaza, leading to a lasting solution to the Palestine issue in accordance with United Nations resolutions,” the statement added.

On Saturday, Egypt said it was reviewing an invitation by Trump to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to join the board, while Turkey’s foreign ministry said that Trump had sent a letter inviting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to become a member of the board.

18/01/2026

A draft charter sent to about 60 countries by the US administration calls for members to contribute $1 billion in cash if they want their membership to last more than three years, according to the document seen by Reuters.

“Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman,” the document, first reported by Bloomberg News, shows.

“The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force.”

18/01/2026

The United States will also suffer if President Donald Trump implements threats to impose tariffs on European countries opposing his plans to acquire Greenland, French Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard said on Sunday.

“In this escalation of tariffs, he has a lot to lose as well, as do his own farmers and industrialists,” she told broadcasters Europe 1 and CNews.

Trump has threated to impose a 10-percent tariff from February 1 on all goods sent to the United States from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland.
“The European Union has potential strike force” from a commercial standpoint, Genevard said. “This is a response that must be handled with caution, because this escalation could be deadly - but it could also be deadly for the United States.”

Any US takeover of Greenland would be “unacceptable”, the minister added. “It is clear that the Europeans will not let the United States do as it pleases.”

18/01/2026

The Trump administration wants nations to pay $1 billion to stay on his peace board, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday, citing a draft charter.

United States President Donald Trump would serve as its inaugural chairman and each member state shall serve a term of no more than three years from this charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the chairman, the report said.

17/01/2026

US President Donald Trump on Saturday vowed to implement a wave of increasing tariffs on European allies until the United States is allowed to purchase Greenland.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said 10% tariffs would come into effect on February 1 on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Finland.

Those tariffs would increase to 25% on June 1 and would continue until a deal is reached for the United States to purchase Greenland, Trump said.

17/01/2026

Before malls, majlises and modern cafés reshaped daily life, Kuwait met over coffee. Traditional coffeehouses once formed the social, commercial and cultural heartbeat of the country, drawing people together at the center of markets, neighborhoods and trade routes.

From pearl merchants and sea captains to traders, travelers and local residents, these modest spaces served as places where business was conducted, news was exchanged and relationships were maintained.

More than places to drink Arabic coffee, the coffeehouses became living forums of Kuwaiti society, reflecting its rhythms, concerns and communal spirit at a time when conversation, presence and shared experience defined public life.

Read the full article on kuwaittimes.com (link in the bio)

17/01/2026

Nigeria claimed third place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after beating Egypt in the bronze medal match.
The game ended 0-0 after regular time at Stade Mohammed V, but Nigeria won 4-2 in the penalty shootout.

17/01/2026

Host nation Kuwait delivered a commanding performance on Saturday, beating Hong Kong 39-25 in a thrilling Group C clash at the 22nd Asian Men’s Handball Championship.

The tournament serves as the primary continental qualifier for the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship in Germany, with the top four finishers securing direct berths.

17/01/2026

Syria army takes territory east of Aleppo after Kurdish forces withdraw

DEIR HAFER: Syria’s army said Saturday that its forces had taken control of swathes of the region east of Aleppo city after Kurdish forces agreed to withdraw...

17/01/2026

‘My nightmare’: Iranians recount crackdown under internet blackout

PARIS: One move in the wrong direction and Kiarash would have been dead, he said, as a shooter opened fire on him and other protesters in the Iranian capital d...