Reuters World News - Greenland, Minnesota, Beckhams and a Chinese embassy

Episode Date: January 20, 2026

U.S. President Donald Trump says missing out on the Nobel Peace Prize means he’s under no obligation to pursue peace. ChongLy Thao tells Reuters what it was like to be dragged out of his home and into the snow by ICE. The truce between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces is off to a rocky start. Hundreds protest plans for a Chinese mega embassy in London. Plus, Brooklyn Beckham breaks his silence on the family rift.  Listen to Morning Bid podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Find the Recommended Read here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, I'm Kim Vinal in Wanganui, New Zealand. It's Tuesday, January 20th. Today. 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. 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 takeover 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.

Reporter Nora Bully 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've seen. It went straight into sort of making a link between the non-giving of the Nobel Peace Prize, which is awarded by the Nobel Committee, which is based in Oslo and Norway, but is not affiliated. to the Norwegian government. It's not the government

gives the price or influences who receives the price. I think it has come as a, I guess, certain shock and surprise 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. 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 sent out more invitations for his Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts. Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, has got one. And this is what Trump had to say when he heard French president, Emmanuel McCann, is planning to decline the invitation. 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.

The heat over Greenland is rattling markets, which were closed yesterday for a holiday. Here's Amanda Cooper from our sister podcast, Morning Bid. Hey Kim, while US traders are coming back after a long weekend to find stock futures lower, Treasury's 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. Thanks, Amanda. 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. 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. 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. 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. So it seemed that his daughter-in-law was in the home with him. He was in his bedroom. 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. And the other in law came to everyone and said that, Dad, there's an ice out there. I thought, what? Yeah, there's an ice out there. Agents using a battering ram broke down the front door. 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.

And then suddenly there's a gunpointed at us. And they're scared. They say, hey, you, you got to come with us. I did, and suddenly they just handcuff me. Chongli Scott Tao is a naturalized U.S. citizen who says he came to the U.S. with his mother from Laos when he was four. He says his daughter-in-law went to get his ID, but agents didn't want to wait. They just took me out there with no clothes on.

So within this whole time, he felt like sheer embarrassment, fear, and just like humiliation. 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. Tau says agents drove him around for an hour,

took his photos and fingerprints, then brought him home. I'm thankful that God help me, bring me back home, saved. People do not it will never be defeated. Immigrant rights were a big part of Dr. Martin Luther King Day for demonstrators marching in King's birthplace, Atlanta. We all have rights, and I think that's what MOK would say about ICE, that they're violating those rights.

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 Raka, northeast Syria, as the government announces a ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF. The truce is a dramatic shift consolidating the one-year-old rule of Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara, with his government now in almost full control of the country. Both sides have reported clashes since the ceasefire, and the Syrian army says a number of Islamic State militants have escaped from a prison

under Kurdish control, accusing the SDF of releasing them. The developments put Washington in a tricky situation, given both the Kurds and Syria's new government, have been allies. Syria Bureau Chief Maya Jhbali explains. 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 Shadhaas forces Al-Said Bashad al-Assad from power, Washington has been building increasingly close ties with him and his government. 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 Shadha than they have with the Kurds. And what we're hearing from Kurdish officials is the sense that the U.S. has abandoned them and that it did not intervene to stop this offensive in the ways that the Kurds were hoping it 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. This has been opposed by many politicians, both in Britain, 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. China has denied Britain the right to do so unless it's able to build this much bigger embassy. And Andrew says it's put Britain's Prime Minister, Kea Stama, in a difficult position. On the one hand, Stam has 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 inemic economic growth. But on the other hand, he's been told by lots of politicians that allowing China this very large embassy is going to leave Britain vulnerable for potentially decades to come. 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. 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 color to the fashion world, which became known as Valentino Red. 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.

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