Weekly News Roundup
11 - 17 Jan 2026
Weekly news update on key security related developments from around the world, by Farah Benis
The second full week of 2026 has been defined by a decisive shift towards "top-down" governance and the tightening of state control over information. From the total digital isolation of Uganda to the unveiling of a foreign-led governing board for Gaza, the international order is being reshaped by those who control the networks, the funding, and the executive mandates.
LONDON’S RECORD-LOW HOMICIDE RATE
Starting with some positive news, in a significant domestic security development, figures released on 12 January confirm that London recorded its lowest murder rate per capita since records began. There were 97 homicides in 2025 (an 11% reduction from 2024), making the capital statistically safer than New York, Paris, and Berlin. The Metropolitan Police have attributed the drop to "precision policing" and the expanded use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology.
MI5 AND THE "DUTY OF CANDOUR" DELAY
The progress of the Hillsborough Law (Public Office Accountability Bill) was halted in the Commons on 13 January. The government faced a rebellion from more than 20 MPs over a proposed "national security" exemption that would shield MI5 and MI6 officers from being legally compelled to tell the truth in public inquiries. The bill has been delayed until 19 January as ministers attempt to reach a compromise with bereaved families who argue the exemption creates a "culture of denial."
THE "SUPER EMBASSY" AT ROYAL MINT COURT
The UK government is expected to grant final approval for China’s massive new embassy complex in East London by 20 January. Critics have raised alarms over the site’s proximity to critical financial infrastructure and fibre-optic cables. The approval is widely seen as a diplomatic "smoothing" gesture ahead of the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit to Beijing, despite ongoing warnings from security experts regarding potential espionage risks.
THE GREENLAND STALEMATE: EUROPE DEPLOYS "TRIPWIRE" FORCES
The territorial dispute over Greenland reached a military flashpoint this week as a multinational European task force began landing on the island. Following the failure of "frank" talks in Washington on 14 January between Danish officials and the U.S. administration, Denmark activated Operation Arctic Endurance. On 15 January, military personnel from France and Germany arrived in Nuuk, joining a growing coalition that includes troops from the UK, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the Netherlands. Analysts describe this as a "tripwire" deployment - a symbolic presence designed to remove any pretext of a "security vacuum" that might justify unilateral annexation. Simultaneously, the Pentagon issued a solicitation on 17 January for emergency upgrades to the runways at Pituffik Space Base. While the White House maintains these are routine, European allies view the move as a preparation for increased U.S. heavy-lift capabilities in the Arctic.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE: THE GERAN-5 AND CASPIAN STRIKES
The conflict entered a new technical phase on 11 January when Ukrainian intelligence (GUR) confirmed Russia's use of the Geran-5, a new strike drone with a 90kg warhead capacity. Simultaneously, Ukraine demonstrated its own reach, conducting drone strikes against Lukoil drilling platforms in the Caspian Sea. These attacks on energy infrastructure thousands of miles from the front line confirm that the "strategic depth" of both nations is now permanently compromised.
THE SWISS REJECTION OF PALANTIR
A significant debate regarding "digital sovereignty" has erupted following revelations that the Swiss Federal Government and the Swiss Army have rejected the use of Palantir software at least nine times. A newly surfaced internal military report from Bern concludes that, as a U.S. firm, Palantir carries a risk that sensitive data could be accessed by U.S. intelligence via the CLOUD Act. The Swiss decision has sparked immediate scrutiny in the UK where Palantir is already deeply embedded. The firm holds a £330 million contract for the NHS Federated Data Platform and a £750 million deal with the Ministry of Defence. On 13 January, several MPs questioned why the UK government has failed to conduct similar "digital sovereignty" assessments. Critics argue the UK’s reliance on U.S. proprietary code for critical infrastructure creates a strategic dependency that Switzerland, maintaining its traditional neutrality, has deemed an unacceptable security risk.
GAZA: THE "BOARD OF PEACE" AND THE NCAG
On 16 January, the White House formalised the governance structure for Gaza under Phase Two of the "Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict." The framework establishes a multi-layered, foreign-led administration that effectively places the territory under international receivership.
The Founding Executive Board, or the Board of Peace, Chaired by President Donald J. Trump, is the body that holds the ultimate authority over reconstruction and funding. The additional board members are Marco Rubio (Secretary of State), Steve Witkoff (Special Envoy), Jared Kushner, Sir Tony Blair, Marc Rowan (Apollo Global Management), Ajay Banga (World Bank), and Robert Gabriel. Each member oversees a "defined portfolio" including governance capacity-building, investment attraction, and large-scale capital mobilisation.
The Gaza Executive Board is the secondary board acting as the bridge between the global powers and the ground-level administration. It includes the heavyweights of the "Founding" board plus key regional players: Hakan Fidan (Turkish Foreign Minister), Ali Al-Thawadi (Qatari diplomat), General Hassan Rashad (Egyptian Intelligence), and Reem Al-Hashimy (UAE Minister). This is where the regional powers (Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, UAE) interface with the U.S. team (Kushner, Witkoff, Blair) to coordinate demilitarisation and stabilisation.
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) handles day-to-day civil service, led by Dr. Ali Sha’ath (a former PA official and civil engineer). Nickolay Mladenov acts as the "High Representative," serving as the on-the-ground liaison between the Board of Peace and the NCAG.
Critically, while the NCAG is composed of Palestinians, they are responsible to the Board of Peace. There is no Palestinian representation on the Founding Executive Board, which retains total control over the 20-point roadmap and the "kill-switch" for reconstruction funding. The selection of the NCAG was conducted by U.S. and regional mediators, leading to accusations that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has been entirely sidelined in favour of a "proxy administration."
UGANDA: MUSEVENI’S SEVENTH TERM AMIDST DIGITAL ISOLATION
On 17 January, Uganda’s Electoral Commission declared Yoweri Museveni (81) the winner of the presidential election with 71.65% of the vote. The victory, extending his 40-year rule, has been overshadowed by a nationwide internet blackout in place since 13 January and reports of state-sponsored violence. Beyond the house arrest of Bobi Wine - who officially took 24.7% of the vote - reports are emerging of widespread "snatch squad" operations. Over 300 opposition supporters have been arrested this week, with many reportedly bundled into unmarked vans (known locally as "drones"). On 16 January, a major security flashpoint occurred in Butambala. While police claim they shot dead seven "machete-wielding goons" in self-defence, local MP Muwanga Kivumbi described it as a "massacre," alleging that 10 unarmed campaign agents were shot dead by security forces who raided his home during an election watch party. The continued internet shutdown has frozen the country's mobile money and banking infrastructure. In a nation where over 60% of the population relies on digital payments for daily essentials, the move has triggered a secondary humanitarian and economic crisis.
SYRIA: THE ALEPPO OFFENSIVE
Geopolitical shifts in the Levant accelerated this week as the Syrian Army launched a major military operation on 16 January against YPG/SDF positions in the eastern countryside of Aleppo. This follows a period of intense negotiation and friction within the Syrian transitional framework. By 17 January, approximately 1,000 families were forced to displace from Deir Hafir. The offensive marks a breakdown in the fragile local truces that had held since the 2025 reorganisation of northern Syria.
Editor’s Comment: The Death of Self-Determination
If the first full week of 2026 was defined by the sudden disruption of the old order, this second week has revealed the architecture of what is replacing it. We are no longer living in an era of diplomatic "spheres of influence"; we have entered an era of "Security Receivership."
In Gaza, the unveiling of the Board of Peace is the ultimate case study. By excluding Palestinian representation from the executive level - the "Tier 1" board where the money and the mandates live - the Trump administration has effectively turned a territory into a corporate subsidiary. It is governance by a boardroom of billionaires and former Western premiers. The local technocrats of the NCAG may be the ones clearing the rubble, but the "kill-switch" for their funding is held in Washington and West Palm Beach.
This same erosion of agency is visible in the "Digital Massacre" unfolding in Uganda. President Museveni has demonstrated that in 2026, you don’t need to win the hearts of the people if you can simply disconnect their bank accounts. By "unplugging" the nation’s mobile money systems, the state hasn't just silenced dissent; it has weaponised the very infrastructure of modern life against its own citizens. When the internet goes out, the "rules of engagement" disappear with it, as the tragic reports from Butambala suggest.
While the UK celebrates a record-low homicide rate in London, we must ask at what cost that safety is bought. The Met’s reliance on Live Facial Recognition (LFR) to drive those numbers down is the "precision" end of the same surveillance spectrum we see being abused elsewhere. In the Commons, the deadlock over the "Duty of Candour" proves that even as the state demands total transparency from the public, it is fighting tooth and nail to maintain its own "national security" shadows.
Perhaps the most prescient warning has come from Switzerland. By rejecting Palantir nine times over "digital sovereignty" concerns, Bern has highlighted a strategic vulnerability that the UK continues to ignore. While the Swiss recognise that proprietary U.S. code in critical infrastructure is a "dependency risk," the UK remains "all in," deeply embedding the same systems into the NHS and the MoD.
The bottom line: Whether it's the military tripwire in Greenland, the surveillance of London, or the technocratic takeover of Gaza, the theme of 2026 is The End of Self Determination. Security is being provided, but it is being done to the people, not by them.
We’ve done the reading so you don’t have to, but please note that in a rapidly changing environment, facts on the ground can shift after publication. This roundup reflects the status of international security as of COB 17 January 2026. This content is for informational purposes and does not constitute professional advice. The Security Edit remains a neutral aggregator of developments based on their material impact; inclusion does not imply endorsement.
