World
UN envoy warns more attacks on Iraq threaten its hard-won stability
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Iraq’s government is focused on avoiding a domestic or regional spillover of the Israel-Hamas war but continuing attacks on the country threaten its hard-won stability, the U.N. envoy for Iraq warned Tuesday.
With the war raging in Gaza, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert told the U.N. Security Council that “the Middle East is at a critical juncture” and “the same is true for Iraq.”
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Attacks originating from inside and outside Iraq will not only undo the country’s stability but “other achievements made in the past 18 months,” she said, adding that “messaging by strikes only serves to recklessly heighten tensions, to kill or injure people and to destroy property.”
She pointed to the Jan. 28 drone strike on a Jordanian facility hosting U.S. forces fighting Islamic State extremists that killed three U.S. Army members and injured many more – and to the U.S. response with 85 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against sites used by Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on Feb. 2. Both Iraq and Syria claimed civilians were killed and injured, and property destroyed.
U.N. envoy for Iraq warns that violence within the nation, and external attacks, threaten the fragile nations stability. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)
Hennis-Plasschaert said many Iraqis were also shocked at an Iranian missile attack in mid-January on the northern city of Irbil, the seat of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, which killed civilians and was at odds “with the great efforts made on the Iraq-Iran security agreement.”
“Rather than shows of force, all efforts should center on safeguarding Iraq from being drawn in any way into a wider conflict,’ she said.
The U.N. envoy urged restraint from Iraq’s armed groups, its neighbor and other countries, saying this is “crucial” for the country’s stability and progress.
“With Iraq cloaked in an already complex tapestry of challenges, it is of greatest importance that all attacks cease,” said Hennis-Plasschaert, who announced that after five years in Baghdad as the U.N.’s special representative she will be departing at the end of May.
Russia called a council meeting Monday on the U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, and its deputy ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky said that despite the security successes achieved by Baghdad, “the situation on the ground is tenuous.”
He again blamed the United States for attempting to transform Iraq “into a stage for geopolitical score-settling to advance their parochial internal agendas” against a backdrop of its failed policy for a Mideast settlement and the current presidential election campaign.
U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood countered that Iran-aligned militia groups “threaten to undermine Iraq’s hard-fight gains” since Islamic State extremists were defeated seven years ago.
“Since October 2023, these groups have attacked U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq, Syria and Jordan over 165 times,” causing deaths and injuries, including among Iraqi forces, he said.
Wood said the U.S. is waiting for recommendations from an independent review on how the U.N. political mission known as UNAMI “can help further Iraq’s plans to build a sustainable future for its citizens and adapt to its political transition and ever-changing security needs.”
Iraq’s U.N. Ambassador Abbas Al-Fatlawi told the council his country is seeking to regain the country’s “leading role” in the region and the world, outlining steps it is taking internationally and domestically.
He condemned “American, Turkish and Iranian aggressions against Iraqi territory” which violate its sovereignty, and warned of the danger of expanding the Israel-Hamas war and its continuation.
Al-Fatlawi said Iraq and the United States are conducting a first round of talks on the future presence of U.S. and coalition forces fighting the remaining Islamic State fighters, and discussed drawing up a timeline for their drawdown “in a manner that would guarantee a smooth transition.”
World
‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Launches Atop U.K., Ireland Box Office
Sony’s “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” launched atop the U.K. and Ireland box office, opening to £3.3 million ($4.5 million) and taking the No. 1 spot, according to Comscore.
Lionsgate U.K.’s “The Housemaid” moved to second place in its fourth weekend, adding $3.8 million for a robust cumulative total of $30.5 million. Universal’s awards-season contender “Hamnet” placed third, earning $3.5 million in its sophomore frame and pushing its running total to $11.3 million.
Disney’s tentpole “Avatar: Fire and Ash” continued its strong run in fourth place with $2.3 million, lifting its cumulative gross to $51.8 million. Entertainment Film Distributors’ “Marty Supreme” rounded out the top five, collecting $2 million in its fourth weekend for a $16 million total.
Further down the chart, Disney’s “Zootopia 2” landed sixth with $1.3 million, taking its total to $41.1 million. Disney also debuted “Rental Family” in seventh, where it opened to $705,000. Warner Bros.’ reissue of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” opened in eighth place with $639,000.
Paramount’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” claimed ninth place, adding $631,000 for a cumulative $10 million, while Sony’s “Anaconda” completed the top 10 with $406,000, bringing its total haul to $7 million.
A varied slate rolls into U.K. and Irish cinemas from Jan. 22, led by event cinema and a cluster of high-profile wide releases. The National Theatre brings “Hamlet – NT Live 2026” to the big screen, while Trafalgar Releasing adds music documentary fare with “Megadeth: Behind the Mask.”
The week’s biggest commercial muscle arrives on Jan. 23 with Universal’s “The History of Sound,” Oliver Hermanus’ romantic drama starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, which lands on 300+ screens. Sony is opening cyber thriller “Mercy,” while Entertainment Film Distributors unleashes genre sequel “Return to Silent Hill,” targeting horror fans. Vertigo Releasing is opening “Saipan,” a soccer drama headlined by Steve Coogan, Éanna Hardwicke and Alice Lowe.
Family audiences are catered for with Miracle/Dazzler’s animated “Dogs at the Opera,” while Lionsgate U.K. releases “H Is for Hawk,” the adaptation of Helen Macdonald’s acclaimed memoir. Mubi adds arthouse weight with Park Chan-wook’s Oscar-shortlisted “No Other Choice,” and AA Films U.K. brings in Bollywood war film “Border 2.” Rounding out the slate is BUFF Studios’ “Heavyweight,” a boxing drama featuring Nicholas Pinnock and Jason Isaacs.
World
Trump confirms he invited Putin to join his Board of Peace: ‘He’s been invited’
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U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin received an invitation to join his new Board of Peace that will supervise the next phase of the Gaza peace plan.
Trump confirmed Putin’s invitation while speaking to reporters at the College Football National Championship Game in Florida, where Indiana defeated Miami.
“Yeah, he’s been invited,” Trump told reporters.
SIX COUNTRIES CONFIRM US INVITATIONS TO GAZA PEACE BOARD
President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as he arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The Kremlin said earlier on Monday that Putin had received the invitation, adding that it is now “studying the details” and will seek clarity of “all the nuances” in communications with the U.S. government.
France has also received an invitation but does not plan to join the Board of Peace “at this stage,” a French official close to President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.
The French official said the issue is raising questions, particularly with regard to respect for the principles and structure of the United Nations.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
Asked at the championship game about Macron being unlikely to join, Trump took jabs at his French counterpart and threatened tariffs for refusing to accept the invitation.
“Well, nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon,” Trump said of Macron.
“I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he’ll join,” he added. “But he doesn’t have to join.”
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U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron shake hands. (REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/Pool)
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Several other countries have also received invitations, including Israel, Canada, Belarus, Slovenia and Thailand.
Morocco, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Hungary and Argentina have already accepted invitations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
Australia closes dozens of east coast beaches after shark attacks
NSW coastline has seen four shark attacks since Sunday, as experts say rainy conditions draw sharks to beach areas.
Published On 20 Jan 2026
Dozens of beaches along Australia’s eastern New South Wales (NSW) coastline have been closed following four confirmed shark attacks since the weekend.
The latest attack came on Tuesday near the town of Port Macquarie, about 400km (248 miles) north of Sydney, where a 39-year-old surfer was bitten by a shark at Point Plomer, according to Australia’s ABC News.
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Authorities say the victim escaped serious injury, but beaches around Port Macquarie were shuttered on Tuesday following the attack as the government-run Shark Smart App indicated dozens of recent shark sightings near NSW beaches.
Sydney’s Northern Beaches Council also shuttered its beaches for at least 48 hours after a 27-year-old man was left in critical condition on Monday night following a shark attack at a beach in the Sydney suburb of Manly.
A young surfer at northern Sydney’s Dee Why beach narrowly escaped a shark attack the same day, although the shark bit a chunk out of his surfboard, according to ABC.
On Sunday, a 12-year-old was seriously injured by a shark while swimming at a beach in eastern Sydney, ABC reported.
“If you’re thinking about going for a swim, think of going to a local pool because at this stage, we’re advising that beaches are unsafe,” Steven Pearce, the chief executive of Surf Life Saving New South Wales, told reporters following the beach closures.
The beaches of NSW have been extra busy as Australians enjoy their summer holidays, but experts say recent heavy rains around Sydney have also created ideal conditions for shark attacks.
Brackish water makes it difficult to see, while sewage run-off from rainwater has drawn in baitfish and sharks to coastal areas, according to Chris Pepin-Neff, an academic and expert on shark behaviour.
“Stay out of Sydney Harbour and the beach after a rainstorm. Wait 72 hours after a storm to swim in the harbour and be mindful of swimming or surfing at ocean beaches for 24 hours after a large downpour,” Pepin-Neff wrote on Tuesday in an op-ed for the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
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