World
EU auditors warn eased EU budget rules could undermine oversight
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The simplification of rules in the upcoming EU budget in the field of research may put undermine the bloc’s ability to control how allocated funds are spent, the European Court of Auditors said in a report published on Monday.
The court, which is responsible for auditing how EU funds are collected and spent, has conducted an assessment of the next EU budget for competitiveness and research, which as written totals €409 billion – about one-fifth of the overall €2 trillion EU budget for 2028-2034.
The auditors’ report stresses that the field of research is particularly exposed to errors such as overcompensation, and that simplification measures such as lump-sum funding therefore need safeguards to keep funds from being misused.
“The Commission’s intention to simplify the EU’s financial management should not come at the expense of accountability, effectiveness, efficiency, and economy”, the court concludes.
The simplification agenda
Since beginning her second term as European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen has pursued a project of “simplification”, an effort to cut red tape and deregulate the EU rulebook to make the bloc more economically competitive.
In that spirit, the Commission put forward a series of new legislative proposals called “omnibuses” with the aim to simplify major EU legislative proposals, for instance those covering digital and green policies.
This approach was recently challenged by European Commission vice-president Teresa Ribera. In a speech in early December at the think tank Bruegel, she insisted that simplification cannot be allowed to go too far.
“Deregulation eliminates safeguards, it puts costs onto citizens and taxpayers, creates uncertainty, discourages investment”, she said.
Similar concerns have been expressed in the European Parliament, which is currently debating the architecture of the Commission’s omnibus proposals.
Among other things, EU lawmakers have warned that the use of “approximations” in the omnibus legislation tendency might diminish the bloc’s oversight capacity and make it harder to establish how money is being spent.
World
Kobalt Partners With India’s Madverse to Expand Publishing Reach
Independent music publisher Kobalt has formed a worldwide partnership with Madverse Music Group, an India-based company serving the South Asian independent music sector with distribution, publishing and marketing services.
Under the agreement, Madverse’s community of independent songwriters, composers and producers will gain access to Kobalt’s publishing administration network. Services include royalty collection in more than 180 markets, improved metadata tracking and expanded synchronization licensing opportunities. Madverse currently works with a client base exceeding 150,000 artists and labels throughout India and South Asia.
The partnership targets a gap in international royalty collection that has historically prevented South Asian creators from capturing overseas earnings.
Madverse CEO Rohan Nesho Jain said: “This partnership with Kobalt represents a pivotal moment in our mission to empower India’s independent music community. For too long, Indian creators have left money on the table simply because the infrastructure to collect global royalties was broken and almost nonexistent.
“Publishing royalties are essentially a musician’s pension fund – they generate income long after the initial release, sometimes for generations. Through this collaboration, we’re ensuring that Indian independent artists can finally access and protect these earnings seamlessly, no matter where in the world their music is played,” Jain added. “This is about more than just collecting royalties; it’s about building sustainable careers and giving our artists the financial foundation they deserve. When independent voices are properly compensated and protected, the entire music ecosystem becomes richer and more diverse.”
The deal supports Madverse’s “Independent, Not Alone” philosophy, which emphasizes creator ownership and control. The partnership will offer improved transparency and operational efficiency while allowing artists to retain their rights.
Simon Moor, Kobalt’s managing director for the Asia-Pacific region, said: “Madverse has built an impressive ecosystem that supports one of the most dynamic independent music communities in the world. By combining their creator-first approach with Kobalt’s global publishing infrastructure, we’re committed to ensuring Madverse songwriters and producers have the resources, accuracy, and reach they need to succeed on an international scale.”
Kobalt administers publishing for more than 1 million compositions through 10 international offices. The company’s songwriter and publisher clients include Roddy Ricch, Max Martin, Karol G, Phoebe Bridgers and Paul McCartney. Kobalt’s catalog accounts for roughly 35% of top 100 songs and albums in the U.S. and U.K.
World
Trump’s push to acquire Greenland sparks international media frenzy on remote island
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As President Donald Trump ramps up his effort to acquire Greenland, a surge of international journalists have rushed to the island to take the pulse of its political leaders and residents.
In recent weeks, media from around the world — including The Associated Press, Reuters, the BBC and Al Jazeera, as well as outlets from Scandinavian countries and Japan — have made their way to the semi-autonomous Danish territory, overwhelming its politicians and community leaders with interview requests.
While Trump has argued that controlling the roughly 800,000-square-mile island is necessary for national security purposes, its leaders have repeatedly insisted it’s not for sale.
Juno Berthelsen, a member of parliament for the Naleraq opposition party, said the media storm intensified last year when Trump first expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, adding that he has been doing multiple interviews a day for the past two weeks.
TRUMP TAPS REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR TO SERVE AS SPECIAL ENVOY TO GREENLAND
A journalist conducts an interview in Nuuk, Greenland, on Jan. 15. (AP Photo/Emma Burrows)
“We’re very few people and people tend to get tired when more and more journalists ask the same questions again and again,” Berthelsen told the Associated Press.
Greenland’s population is about 57,000 people, with roughly 20,000 living in Nuuk, the small capital city where the same collection of business owners are repeatedly asked to do news interviews, sometimes as many as 15 a day.
Many residents interviewed by the AP said they want the world to know that Greenlanders will decide their own future and expressed confusion about why Trump wants to control the island.
TRUMP ISSUES STERN WARNING TO NATO AHEAD OF VANCE’S HIGH-STAKES GREENLAND MEETING
Residents and officials in Nuuk face growing media attention as President Trump renews efforts to acquire the strategically located island. (AP Photo/Emma Burrows)
“It’s just weird how obsessed [Trump] is with Greenland,” Maya Martinsen, 21, told the AP.
She said Trump is “basically lying about what he wants out of Greenland,” asserting that the president is using U.S. national security as a means to take control of “the oils and minerals that we have that are untouched.”
The Americans, Martinsen continued, “only see what they can get out of Greenland and not what it actually is.”
EUROPEAN ALLIES WORKING ON PLAN IF US ACTS ON ACQUIRING GREENLAND: REPORT
Rows of houses in Nuuk, Greenland, on Jan. 13, 2026. (Marko Djurica/Reuters)
“It has beautiful nature and lovely people. It’s just home to me. I think the Americans just see some kind of business trade,” she added.
Americans, however, appear ambivalent about the acquisition, with 86% of voters nationwide saying they would oppose military action to take over Greenland, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. By a 55%-37% margin, voters surveyed said they opposed any U.S. effort to try to buy Greenland.
On Wednesday, Trump said in a social media post that “anything less” than U.S. control of Greenland is “unacceptable,” but Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said during a news conference this week that the island will not be owned or governed by the United States.
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Trump’s recent comments have sparked tension with Denmark and other NATO allies, and troops from several European countries, including France, Germany, Sweden and Norway, deployed to Greenland this week for a brief two-day mission to bolster the territory’s defenses.
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
Israel continues deadly Gaza attacks as ceasefire deal moves into phase two
Israeli forces killed at least 10 Palestinians after the United States announced the launch of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Published On 16 Jan 2026
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