While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Jan 20, 2026
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US President Donald Trump wants the full constitution and remit of the Board of Peace committee signed in Davos on Jan 22.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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France declines Trump’s invitation to join his ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza
US President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace has got off to a rough start: questioned by Europe, criticised by Israel and celebrated by friends of the Kremlin.
France’s Emmanuel Macron, for one, has come right out of the gate to decline an invitation that was also extended to strongmen such as Belarus’s autocratic leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Several liberal democracies are squirming, uncertain how to respond and not wanting to offend Mr Trump.
They don’t have long to decide. Mr Trump wants the full constitution and remit of the committee signed in Davos on Jan 22, according to people familiar with the matter. But some elements of the small print have left invitees wondering whether to accept.
Vietnam leader To Lam seeks China-style powers at party conclave
PHOTO: REUTERS
Vietnam’s top leader To Lam is expected to address a twice-a-decade congress of the Communist Party on Jan 20, where he is seeking expanded powers similar to China’s political structure.
The South-east Asian nation of 100 million people is both a repressive one-party state and a regional economic bright spot, where the Communist Party has sought to deliver rapid growth to bolster its legitimacy.
Nearly 1,600 delegates gathered in Hanoi on Jan 19 to kick off the week-long conclave where key policies will be set, meeting in a flag-draped auditorium watched over by a statue of party founder Ho Chi Minh.
Denmark, Greenland suggest Arctic NATO mission
PHOTO: AFP
Denmark and Greenland have discussed the possibility of having a NATO mission in Greenland and the Arctic, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Jan 19.
He spoke as US President Donald Trump intensified his push to wrest sovereignty over Greenland from fellow NATO member Denmark, prompting the European Union to weigh hitting back with its own measures.
Mr Poulsen made his remarks after a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt in Brussels.
Valentino, leading Italian fashion designer, dies at 93
PHOTO: REUTERS
A mix of carmine and scarlet, with a hint of orange - a new hue, inspired by an elderly woman at Barcelona's opera house, whose elegance struck a young Valentino Garavani.
The colour, introduced to the fashion world several years later, in 1959, with a strapless cocktail dress of draped tulle, has carried his name - "Valentino red" - ever since, doubling as the eponymous Italian fashion group's signature.
Valentino, one of Italy's leading fashion designers, died on Jan 19 at his Roman residence, his foundation announced. He was 93 years old.
Morocco achieve record FIFA ranking, Senegal rise to 12th
Morocco have achieved their highest FIFA men's world ranking, rising to eighth, despite losing the Africa Cup of Nations final to Senegal, who climbed to 12th on Jan 19.
Morocco were beaten 1-0 after extra time by Senegal in the decider in Rabat on Jan 18, but the hosts had a chance to win the trophy with a last-gasp penalty at the end of regulation time.
However, Brahim Diaz squandered the kick after having to wait some 14 minutes for the Senegal players to return, as they walked off the field to protest the penalty decision.
