- D.C.
- BXL
- Lagos
- Riyadh
- Beijing
- SG
Intelligence for the New World Economy
- D.C.
- BXL
- Lagos
- Riyadh
- Beijing
- SG
The World at a Glance
Updated 11:06am EST
1
US markets rebounded Wednesday after Donald Trump told Davos he would not invade Greenland, a day after tensions sparked a selloff.
2US President Donald Trump said he was seeking ‘immediate negotiations’ to acquire Greenland, but pledged not to use force to take the territory.
3The US seized its seventh Venezuelan tanker, as Washington further asserts control over the country’s oil.
4US shale production has begun to plateau, forcing domestic firms to seek new foreign markets.
5The US is looking to Australia and Africa for minerals in an attempt to sidestep Chinese restrictions.
6The UK and China vowed to revive a ‘golden era’ of business dialogue at a meeting in Beijing next week.
Canada’s Carney warns of ‘rupture’ to global order in Davos address
In a speech clearly aimed at Trump, Mark Carney cautioned against using “economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage.”
Denis Balibouse/ReutersTrump’s play for Greenland blunts economic agenda at home
Investors flinched Tuesday after the president said he would impose tariffs on the Danish territory’s European defenders.
Anti-Trump hats for sale in Copenhagen. Tom Little/ReutersGoogle DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis and the paradox of AI progress
The DeepMind founder says the natural shortcomings slowing down the development of AI are actually a good thing.
Denis Balibouse/ReutersSaudi economy hits new levels of oil independence
The government is increasingly looking to let the private sector take the lead, Saudi’s economy minister said.
Courtesy of the Saudi Arabian Minister of Economy and PlanningAD
US foreign debt an ‘enormous vulnerability,’ says Bridgewater’s Dalio
His warning came as global investors finally appeared spooked by Trump’s Greenland threats.
Ray Dalio speaking to Semafor’s Liz Hoffman. Firebird Films/Semafor.Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza faces scrutiny
Topping the list of concerns from allies is the proposal for nations to pay $1 billion for a permanent board spot.
Amir Cohen/Reuters Gates Foundation and OpenAI launch $50M AI health program in Africa
Horizon1000 will begin operations in Rwanda.
Gavi/2019/Tony Noel via Reuters
Politics
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Spencer Platt/Getty Images 
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
US senators face mounting primary threats
Three senators face major primary challenges this year.
Jonathan Ernst/ReutersTrump administration blocks funding for public broadcasting, rail projects
The Gateway Tunnel project is among those affected.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images Supreme Court weighs Trump’s effort to bend the Fed
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is expected to attend the arguments.
Kevin Lamarque/ReutersTrump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza faces scrutiny
Topping the list of concerns from allies is the proposal for nations to pay $1 billion for a permanent board spot.
Trump’s play for Greenland blunts economic agenda at home
Investors flinched Tuesday after the president said he would impose tariffs on the Danish territory’s European defenders.
Australia tightens its gun laws as US seeks to loosen
The Australian parliament voted in favor of tougher gun control laws after the Bondi Beach shooting in December that killed 15.
Talarico makes rounds with Democrats as Senate primaries near
The Texas state lawmaker is piquing Senate Democrats’ interest.
Oil firms grapple with uncertainty over Venezuela licenses
Oil firms who want to invest in the country are waiting on the Treasury Department.
Trump escalates tensions over Greenland, plans Davos meeting
The US president is set to rub elbows with many of the officials who oppose his efforts.
Trump’s row over Greenland escalates, risking US-Europe ties
The stunning row has consequences far beyond the largely uninhabited landmass, potentially “tearing NATO apart,” The Economist said.
Debatable: Venezuela elections
As opposition leader María Corina Machado meets the US president, Washington is divided on when Venezuela should hold elections.
Business
Denis Balibouse/Reuters
Is 2026 the year the Davos consensus finally gets it right?
Dare to dream.
Denis Balibouse/ReutersLittle evidence of US slowdown, says BofA’s Moynihan
One year into the Trump administration, a lot of the confusion is “actually settled in that people can predict a business plan and then go on,” Brian Moynihan told Semafor.
US foreign debt an ‘enormous vulnerability,’ says Bridgewater’s Dalio
His warning came as global investors finally appeared spooked by Trump’s Greenland threats.
China could fill AI power vacuum, Google’s Porat warns
If China goes into countries where the US is absent, Beijing will be able to execute a timeworn playbook.
Chinese tourism to Japan plummets following Taiwan spat
Beijing urged its citizens not to travel to Japan after its prime minister said her country may support Taiwan militarily.
Technology
Firebird Films/Semafor
Ray Stubblebine/Wizards of the Coast/Handout/Reuters
Google’s data access gives it huge AI advantage, says Cloudflare CEO
Google garners more than three times as much data per web page as OpenAI, and five times as much as Microsoft and Anthropic, he told Semafor at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Firebird Films/SemaforDungeons & Dragons puts top AI models to the test
Scientists developed a detailed grading system by having the most popular AI chatbots play Dungeons & Dragons in real life.
Ray Stubblebine/Wizards of the Coast/Handout/ReutersOpenAI lays out policy roadmap for US midterm elections
OpenAI urged midterm candidates on both sides of the aisle to embrace a broad set of AI-related proposals.
Trump’s tariff threats on Europe risk slowing US robotics
Europe’s carmaking prowess developed a robust market for actuators, the devices that make the humanoids move.
OpenAI vows not to increase consumers’ energy prices
OpenAI joined Microsoft in attempting to ease consumer concerns regarding data centers’ impact on electricity bills.
DNC Chair Ken Martin seeks help from tech leaders
The planned visit to Silicon Valley is ostensibly aimed at strengthening voter support and the DNC’s own tech capabilities.
Energy
Kyodo via Reuters
Jessica Lutz/Reuters
Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters
Nuclear power gathers pace globally
Japan’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, the world’s largest, restarts operations today after 15 years.
Kyodo via ReutersUS shale production set to plateau
Flagging prospects have pushed domestic firms to seek out opportunities in new markets such as Australia and Venezuela.
Jessica Lutz/ReutersEIA reveals illegal logging operation in Brazil
The operation covered 5,000 hectares of pristine forest in Indigenous Territory in Brazil’s Pará state, the capital of COP30 host Belém.
Ueslei Marcelino/ReutersGulf
Noah Berger for AWS/Reuters
G42 pitches digital embassy plan to foreign governments
A data embassy would store information beyond a country’s physical borders but under its laws.
Noah Berger for AWS/ReutersGoldman Sachs, QIA expand partnership
Goldman said its Doha outpost will become its “largest regional office for asset management.”
UAE, India deepen ties with energy, trade and defense deals
ADNOC signed a $3 billion deal on Monday to supply liquefied natural gas to India, making it the UAE’s top customer for LNG.
UAE joins Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza
A draft charter reportedly shows countries must commit $1 billion for a permanent seat, with Trump as lifetime chairman.
Saudi economy hits new levels of oil independence
The government is increasingly looking to let the private sector take the lead, Saudi’s economy minister said.
Africa
Reuters
Eldson Chagara/File Photo/Reuters
Larger African companies lag in efforts to boost female leadership: Report
But Africa’s private capital industry outperforms global peers in gender representation, a new report argued.
ReutersMalawi hikes fuel prices for second time in four months
Intended to reduce pressure on foreign currency reserves, it also looks set to deepen a cost-of-living crisis.
Eldson Chagara/File Photo/ReutersNew $1B climate finance fund commits 40% to Africa
The fund will invest in renewable energy, agriculture, and transportation programs in Africa.
Gates Foundation and OpenAI launch $50M AI health program in Africa
Horizon1000 will begin operations in Rwanda.
Paystack eyes growth beyond payments with restructuring
The Nigerian payments processor, acquired by fintech giant Stripe five years ago, launches a new parent holding company to offer banking and consumer finance.
Scientists discover Namib Desert beetle cools down when running
The Onymacris plana, a darkling beetle, is the first known land animal that gets cooler as it exercises, scientists said.
Security
Issei Kato/File Photo/Reuters
Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters
Stringer/Reuters
Chinese tourism to Japan plummets following Taiwan spat
Beijing urged its citizens not to travel to Japan after its prime minister said her country may support Taiwan militarily.
Issei Kato/File Photo/ReutersThreat of US strike on Iran appears to wane
Officials reportedly advised US President Donald Trump that an attack would be unlikely to topple the government.
Majid Asgaripour/WANA via ReutersDefense stocks surge on rising calls for militarization
Donald Trump’s calls for a more than 50% increase to his country’s military budget have lifted the valuations of domestic arms firms.
Stringer/ReutersMedia
Matt Damon, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, and Ben Affleck. Jeenah Moon/Reuters
Streaming giants push filmmakers to adapt to ‘double screening’
Viewers are increasingly watching films and TV while also looking at their smartphones.
Matt Damon, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, and Ben Affleck. Jeenah Moon/ReutersDie Welt editor departed amid internal inquiry
The editor of Germany’s Die Welt had been the subject of internal scrutiny in recent days by the newspaper’s parent company.
Undersecretary Sarah Rogers on free speech, Europe’s tech crackdown, and the internet she misses
The State Department’s undersecretary for public diplomacy joins Mixed Signals for a wide-ranging conversation about free speech, tech regulation, and why she’s been rattling the patience of some European governments.
Politico announces layoffs, new product
The publication will cut about 3% of its 750-strong global staff.
Blackstone invests $100M in elite marketing tech firm
Applecart has a leading place in an emerging but discreet cohort of companies and organizations aimed at reaching key figures in industry and government.
CEO Signal
Courtesy of Ferrovial/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of Southwest/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of WPP/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
How US traffic jams are driving Spain’s Ferrovial
CEO Ignacio Madridejos says a triple listing has drawn new investors to a European infrastructure powerhouse.
Courtesy of Ferrovial/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforHow Bob Jordan charted a new course for Southwest Airlines
The budget carrier’s CEO says communications and simulations helped it overhaul its business without killing its culture and business model.
Courtesy of Southwest/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor‘AI is going to automate the ordinary’: Cindy Rose’s plan for ad giant WPP
The admaker has fallen behind its peers, but the Microsoft veteran sees opportunity in disruption.
Courtesy of WPP/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAD