By Ilayda Cakirtekin
ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including a US Border Patrol officer killing an armed individual during a targeted operation in Minnesota; Syria extending a ceasefire with the YPG/SDF terror organization for 15 days; and President Donald Trump threatening to impose 100% tariffs on all Canadian goods entering the US if Ottawa reaches a trade agreement with Beijing.
TOP STORIES
- US federal agent fatally shoots man in Minneapolis in 2nd incident this month
A US Border Patrol officer shot and killed an armed individual who was wanted for "violent assault" during a targeted operation in Minnesota, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The agency said the shooting happened at 9.05 am local time (1505GMT), and noted the individual approached officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.
Officers attempted to disarm the suspect, who "violently resisted," according to the statement by DHS on US social media company X.
- Syria extends ceasefire with YPG/SDF for 15 days
Syria has extended a ceasefire with the YPG/SDF terror organization for 15 days, the Defense Ministry said in a statement carried by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
The ministry said the ceasefire will apply across all operational sectors of the Syrian Army and will take effect at 11 pm on Jan. 24.
The statement said the extension is intended to support a US operation to evacuate detainees from the ISIS (Daesh) terror group currently held in prisons run by the SDF and transfer them to Iraq.
The announcement came hours after the Syrian government said a four-day truce with the SDF had ended and authorities were considering the next steps following the expiration of the agreement.
- Trump threatens Canada with 100% tariff if Ottawa makes deal with China
President Donald Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs on all Canadian goods entering the US if Ottawa reaches a trade agreement with Beijing.
"If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
The president called Prime Minister Mark Carney "governor" and said he would be "sorely mistaken" if he allowed Canada to become a "drop off port" for Chinese products destined for the American market.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- US President Donald Trump urged Minnesota officials to allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to operate freely, warning that the state would face more severe consequences if the state is not cleared of undocumented immigrants.
- Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said US President Donald Trump's remarks about NATO’s role in Afghanistan are "disrespectful."
- Several European airlines have suspended or adjusted flights to destinations in the Middle East, citing security concerns about rising tensions between the US and Iran, and fears of wider disruption across the Persian Gulf.
- President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for 12 states as a major winter storm threatens devastation across much of the continental US.
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a call with US President Donald Trump after the president’s remarks about NATO’s role in Afghanistan sparked outrage in the UK.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks in Jerusalem with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, to discuss the war on the Gaza Strip, the Rafah border crossing and the Iran file.
- Trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the US concluded in Abu Dhabi, with Kyiv and Washington hailing the talks and announcing conversations will resume next week.
- The Syrian Army said the YPG/SDF terror organization was bringing reinforcements from PKK terrorists based in Iraq’s Qandil Mountains into the northeastern province of Hasakah.
- More than 14,000 flights have been canceled across the US through Monday as a potentially historic winter storm disrupts air travel, according to flight tracking services.
- Two women were attacked by supporters of the YPG/SDF terror group during a demonstration in central London, witnesses said.
- Türkiye’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met with a delegation from the Palestinian group, Hamas, in Istanbul.
- Algeria summoned the charge d’affaires of the French Embassy in Algiers after a French state television channel aired a documentary containing “unacceptable insults and unjustified provocations,” the Algerian Foreign Ministry said.
- Foreign ministers from eight Nordic and Baltic countries urged Russia to immediately stop targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
- The state-owned Syrian Petroleum Company said it has begun extracting oil from fields retaken by the Syrian Army from the YPG/SDF terror organization.
- French President Emmanuel Macron has asked the government to trigger an accelerated legislative procedure for a bill that would ban access to social media platforms for children under the age of 15, aiming for the law to take effect “as early as next fall."
- Senior Iranian military commanders emphasized unity among the country’s armed forces and pledged to defend Iran “to the death” amid what they described as threats of a potential US attack.
- US President Donald Trump said American forces used a classified device called a "discombobulator" during the Jan. 3 raid in Caracas that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
- Heavy rain and snowfall have battered several provinces across Afghanistan, killing 61 people and injuring more than 100, officials said.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the fight against the ISIS (Daesh) terror group is growing stronger and more determined, with the roots of all terrorism in the region being eradicated.
- Denmark's premier criticized remarks by US President Donald Trump, who questioned the role of NATO allies in Afghanistan, saying the comments were “unacceptable” and deeply hurt Danish veterans.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- Libya’s oil output hits 12-year high at 1.37M bpd in 2025, prime minister says
Libya’s prime minister said the country’s oil output reached its highest in 12 years in 2025, climbing to 1.37 million barrels per day.
Speaking at the opening of the Libya Energy and Economy Summit (LEES) 2026 in Tripoli, Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said last year production began at several oil fields, including Iravn, Mutahandush, al-Khayr, Hamada 47 and Sinawan.
Dbeibah said Libya launched its first oil and natural gas exploration licensing round in 17 years in 2025, attracting strong interest from international energy companies.
- Türkiye, Libya expand cooperation in oil, renewables
Türkiye and Libya agreed to expand and diversify cooperation in the energy sector during the 22nd Term Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting in Tripoli, according to Türkiye’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.
The meeting, held after a 17-year hiatus, concluded with the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Libya’s Transport Minister Mohammed al-Shuhubi, who co-chaired the JEC, said a Bayraktar’s post on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.
Bayraktar said the two sides agreed to increase cooperation between public companies in the trade of petroleum and petroleum products, adding that both confirmed a shared will to work together in Libya’s onshore and offshore areas.