America’s Department of Justice had “sufficient” evidence to convict Donald Trump in a trial for seeking to overturn the presidential election in 2020, according to Jack Smith, the special counsel who led the case. Mr Smith dropped the case after Mr Trump’s election victory in 2024. The DoJ delivered Mr Smith’s final report on the case to Congress in the early hours of Tuesday.
Qatari officials said that a ceasefire deal in Gaza was “very close” as negotiations between Israel and Hamas entered their “final stages”. According to President Joe Biden, Hamas would free hostages under the agreement and there would be a pause in fighting. A hard-right Israeli minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said he would leave Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition if the deal was agreed.
NATO’s secretary-general, Mark Rutte, said the alliance will bolster its efforts to protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. Member states have reported Russian-linked attacks on undersea cables and pipelines. The monitoring operation, known as “Baltic Sentry”, will use drones, ships and other technology to “deter future destabilising acts”. In December Finland seized a tanker thought to have been involved in Russian sabotage.
TikTok denied reports that its Chinese owners are willing to sell the video-sharing platform to Elon Musk. The company faces a deadline of January 19th to either sell its American operations or face a ban in the country. The Supreme Court is due to rule on the issue. Donald Trump, an ally of Mr Musk, opposes a ban.
The impeachment trial of Yoon Suk Yeol began in Seoul, though the proceedings lasted just minutes because South Korea’s suspended president failed to attend. Parliament voted to impeach Mr Yoon last month after he briefly declared martial law. Mr Yoon’s lawyers said he did not attend because of concerns over his safety. The next hearing is scheduled to take place on Thursday.
Cleveland-Cliffs and Nucor, two American steelmakers, reportedly agreed to launch a joint bid for US Steel. Under the plan Cleveland-Cliffs would acquire all of US Steel before selling the struggling firm’s Big River Steel unit to Nucor. The offer would probably be significantly lower than the $14bn bid by Nippon Steel, which the Biden administration blocked earlier this month, citing national-security concerns.
Spain’s government said it would impose a 100% tax on property bought by non-residents from countries outside the European Union. Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister, announced the levy as part of a plan to tackle a “grave” housing crisis. Mr Sánchez gave no details for the proposal. Spaniards, like many people across Europe, are angry about rising costs.
Figure of the day: 60%, the share of Greenlanders who support closer co-operation with America, according to a survey from December. Read the full story.
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