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Trump Launches ‘Trump-Class’ Battleships That Is “100 Times More Powerful”
U.S. President Trump on Monday announced plans for a new “Trump class” of battleships, marking the start of an expanded naval buildup and signalling increased scrutiny of defence contractors over production delays and cost overruns.
Trump said the new battleships would be larger, faster and “100 times more powerful” than any previously built, forming the centrepiece of what he called an expanded “Golden Fleet” aimed at cementing U.S. naval dominance.
The program will begin with two vessels and is expected to grow to between 20 and 25 ships, Trump said. The first of the class will be christened the USS Defiant.
‘Lethal Surface Warfare Ships’
The announcement represents the latest example of the president rebranding an aspect of the federal government in his image. Trump, who has previously criticised the appearance of U.S. warships, said he will be personally involved in the designs.
He said the ships will weigh more than 30,000 tons, larger than current destroyers, and be equipped with the latest technology, including artificial intelligence and directed energy lasers.
“We haven’t built a battleship since 1994. These cutting-edge vessels will be some of the most lethal surface warfare ships … other than our submarines,” Trump said.
In addition to carrying conventional naval guns, the new battleships will be equipped with nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missiles, U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan said, appearing with Trump in Florida for the announcement.
Some U.S. officials have warned that a failure to build new battleships in recent years has handed an advantage to economic and military rival China. Trump downplayed China’s influence on the decision, saying the expansion was “a counter to everybody.”
Delays And Overruns
He said the naval expansion would be paired with renewed pressure on defence contractors to speed up production and rein in costs. He said he will meet with major defence firms next week to address delays and overruns, and to examine whether executive compensation, stock buybacks and dividends are contributing to missed production targets.
“We don’t want to have executives making $50 million a year, issuing big dividends to everybody, and also doing buybacks”, while production of F-35s and other jets languishes, Trump said.
Reuters reported last week that the administration was planning an executive order to limit dividends, buybacks and executive pay for defence contractors whose projects are over-budget and delayed.
Trump and the Pentagon have been complaining about the expensive, slow-moving and entrenched nature of the defence industry, promising dramatic changes that would make the production of war equipment more nimble.
Besides the new battleship class, the expanded fleet envisions increasing numbers of other war vessels, including the introduction of a new, smaller class of frigates previously announced by the Navy, Trump said.
(with inputs from Reuters)
U.S. Warns China Loading 100 Nuclear Missiles Amid Taiwan Tensions
China has likely deployed more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) across three new silo fields and shows no interest in joining nuclear arms control talks, according to a draft Pentagon report seen by Reuters. The assessment highlights Beijing’s rapid nuclear modernisation and growing military assertiveness amid escalating global security tensions.
The report said China’s weapons expansion is advancing faster than that of any other nuclear-armed nation, citing findings by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Beijing, however, dismissed such reports as attempts to “smear and defame” its image internationally.
Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he was developing a potential trilateral denuclearisation plan involving China and Russia. Yet, the Pentagon’s analysis suggests that Beijing remains unwilling to engage. “We continue to see no appetite from Beijing for pursuing such measures or more comprehensive arms control discussions,” the draft stated.
Expanding Arsenal and Strategic Reach
According to the report, China has likely placed more than 100 solid-fuelled DF-31 ICBMs in silo fields near the Mongolian border. While the Pentagon had previously acknowledged the existence of these facilities, this is the first time a report has suggested the scale of deployment.
China’s nuclear warhead stockpile stood at just over 600 in 2024 — a slower rate of growth compared to earlier years but the Pentagon predicts that Beijing will possess more than 1,000 warheads by 2030.
The report did not specify any intended targets for the newly deployed missiles. Chinese officials reiterated that the country maintains a “defensive nuclear strategy” and adheres to a “no-first-use” policy. China’s embassy in Washington said its nuclear posture remains limited to the “minimum level required for national security.”
Tensions Over Taiwan and Military Modernisation
The Pentagon report also warns that China expects to be capable of “fighting and winning a war on Taiwan by the end of 2027.” It describes Beijing’s military planning as focused on taking the island “by brute force,” including long-range strike options extending up to 2,000 nautical miles.
Such capabilities, it noted, could “seriously challenge and disrupt U.S. presence” in the wider Asia-Pacific during a conflict.
China regards democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to achieve unification. The United States maintains a policy of strategic ambiguity but continues to supply Taiwan with defensive weaponry.
Arms Race Concerns as Nuclear Treaties Expire
The report’s release comes just weeks before the scheduled expiration of the 2010 New START treaty — the last remaining nuclear arms control accord between the U.S. and Russia, which caps strategic warheads at 1,550 per side. The agreement, extended once in 2021, cannot be formally renewed.
Analysts fear its lapse could ignite a new three-way nuclear arms race among the U.S., Russia and China. “More nuclear weapons and an absence of diplomacy will not make anyone safer,” warned Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association.
Trump has previously said he wants the U.S. to resume nuclear weapons testing, though his administration has yet to outline specific plans.
Corruption Purges and Industrial Impact
Beyond nuclear expansion, the Pentagon report details President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and China’s defence industry. The crackdown, it said, has disrupted procurement and slowed weapons production but could yield “long-term improvements” in military efficiency.
Revenues at state-owned defence firms fell last year despite three decades of steady budget increases, reflecting the purge’s short-term impact. At least 26 senior executives from major arms manufacturers have been investigated or dismissed in the past 18 months.
The probe, initially centred on rocket and missile procurement, has since widened to include China’s nuclear and shipbuilding industries.
As Beijing continues its drive to expand and modernise its military power, U.S. officials warn that the combination of nuclear growth, regional assertiveness and internal restructuring underscores China’s emergence as a strategic rival unlike any other.
(with inputs from Reuters)
Trump Appoints Special Envoy To Greenland, Stirs Backlash
U.S. President Donald Trump named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on Sunday as his special envoy to Greenland, drawing renewed criticism from Denmark and Greenland over Washington’s interest in the mineral-rich Arctic island.
Trump has advocated for Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, to become part of the United States, citing its strategic importance and mineral resources. Landry, who took office as governor in January 2024, publicly supports the idea.
“You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument about international security,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a joint statement. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders, and the U.S. shall not take over Greenland.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Jeff, the special envoy, understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World.”
The White House did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
The envoy, in a post on X, thanked Trump: “It’s an honour to serve in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S. This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!”
The Trump administration put further pressure on Copenhagen on Monday, when it suspended leases for five large offshore wind projects being built off the East Coast of the U.S., including two being developed by Denmark’s state-controlled Orsted.
Greenland’s Strategic Value
Greenland, a former Danish colony with a population of about 57,000, has the right to declare independence under a 2009 agreement but remains heavily reliant on fishing and Danish subsidies.
Its strategic position between Europe and North America makes it a key site for the U.S. ballistic missile defence system, while its mineral wealth has heightened U.S. interest in reducing reliance on Chinese exports.
Greenland’s Nielsen commented on Facebook: “We have woken up again to a new announcement from the U.S. president. This may sound big, but it does not change anything for us. We decide our own future.”
Diplomatic Tensions Escalate
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Monday he would summon U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Howery, who had pledged “mutual respect” during a recent visit to Greenland.
“Out of nowhere, there is now a special U.S. presidential representative, who, according to himself, is tasked with taking over Greenland. This is, of course, completely unacceptable,” Rasmussen told TV2.
Denmark has sought to repair strained ties with Greenland over the past year, while also trying to ease tensions with the Trump administration by investing in Arctic defence to address U.S. criticisms about inadequate security.
“It is a difficult situation that our allies for a lifetime are putting us in,” Prime Minister Frederiksen said in an Instagram post.
Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, a political science professor at the University of Copenhagen, told Reuters: “This appointment shows that all the money Denmark has invested in Greenland, in the defence of the Arctic, and all the friendly things we have said to the Americans, have had no effect at all.”
(with inputs from Reuters)
Turkish Delegation To Visit Damascus For Talks To Integrate SDF
A high-level Turkish delegation will visit Damascus on Monday to discuss bilateral ties and the implementation of a deal for integrating the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into Syria’s state apparatus, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said.
The visit by Turkey’s foreign and defence ministers and its intelligence chief comes amid efforts by Syrian, Kurdish and U.S. officials to show some progress with the deal. But Ankara accuses the SDF of stalling ahead of a year-end deadline.
Turkey views the U.S.-backed SDF, which controls swathes of northeastern Syria, as a terrorist organisation and has warned of military action if the group does not honour the agreement.
Last week, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara hoped to avoid resorting to military action against the SDF but that its patience was running out.
The Foreign Ministry source said Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and the head of Turkey’s MIT intelligence agency, Ibrahim Kalin, would attend the talks in Damascus, a year after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad.
‘National Security’ At Stake
The source said the integration deal “closely concerned Turkey’s national security priorities” and the delegation would discuss its implementation. Turkey has said integration must ensure that the SDF’s chain of command is broken.
Sources have previously told Reuters that Damascus sent a proposal to the SDF expressing openness to reorganising the group’s roughly 50,000 fighters into three main divisions and smaller brigades as long as it cedes some chains of command and opens its territory to other Syrian army units.
Turkey sees the SDF as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group and says it too must disarm and dissolve itself, in line with a disarmament process now underway between the Turkish state and the PKK.
Ankara has conducted cross-border military operations against the SDF in the past. It accuses the group of wanting to circumvent the integration deal and says this poses a threat to both Turkey and the unity of Syria.
(with inputs from Reuters)
Bangladesh: NCP Leader Shot In Khulna
Days after the killing of Bangladesh’s student activist Sharif Osman Hadi, another NCP student leader has been shot at in Khulna city.
The Dhaka Tribune reports that National Citizen Party (NCP) Khulna division chief and central organiser of Shramik Shakti, Motaleb Sikder, was shot in public in the city’s Sonadanga area around 11:45 am on Monday. He was taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital in critical condition.
Sonadanga Model police station Officer-in-charge Animesh Mandal said Sikder was shot by miscreants and rescued by locals, who rushed him to the hospital, added the report. Police were later deployed to the scene.
Out Of Danger
The New Indian Express reports that his condition was initially described as critical, but medical assessments later indicated that the bullet grazed his skull, and he is now out of danger.
Sikder’s party, the National Citizen Party, was formed earlier this year. It emerged from the Students Against Discrimination movement and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, becoming Bangladesh’s first major student-led political party.
The police have told Prothom Alo that they are certain that the shooting occurred due to an internal dispute among those who were present at the crime scene.
Saif Newaz, organiser of the NCP Khulna city unit, told Prothom Alo that Sikder was recently involved in preparations for an upcoming divisional labour rally of the party.
Hadi’s Killing
Violent protests have taken place across Bangladesh last week after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a radical leader known for his anti-India sentiment. Hadi gained fame for his role during the 2024 student protests and uprising that led to the ouster of the then PM of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina.
Hadi was shot on December 12 by masked assailants, and his shooters remain to be found. After being treated in Dhaka, he was airlifted to a hospital in Singapore for treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries on December 18. The protests have also grown more targeted towards India following Hadi’s shooting.
Trump Shakes Up Global Trade In 2025, Uncertainty To Persist
President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in 2025 kicked off a frenetic year for global trade, with waves of tariffs on U.S. trading partners that lifted import taxes to their highest since the Great Depression, roiled financial markets and sparked rounds of negotiations over trade and investment deals.
His trade policies – and the global reaction to them – will remain front and centre in 2026, but face some hefty challenges.
What Happened In 2025
Trump’s moves, aimed broadly at reviving a declining manufacturing base, lifted the average tariff rate to nearly 17% from less than 3% at the end of 2024, according to Yale Budget Lab, and the levies are now generating roughly $30 billion a month of revenue for the U.S. Treasury.
They brought world leaders scrambling to Washington seeking deals for lower rates, often in return for pledges of billions of dollars in U.S. investments. Framework deals were struck with a host of major trading partners, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and others, but notably a final agreement with China remains on the undone list despite multiple rounds of talks and a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The EU was criticised by many for its deal for a 15% tariff on its exports and a vague commitment to big U.S. investments. France’s prime minister at the time, Francois Bayrou, called it an act of submission and a “sombre day” for the bloc. Others shrugged that it was the “least bad” deal on offer.
Since then, European exporters and economies have broadly coped with the new tariff rate, thanks to various exemptions and their ability to find markets elsewhere. French bank Societe Generale estimated the total direct impact of the tariffs was equivalent to just 0.37% of the region’s GDP.
Meanwhile, China’s trade surplus defied Trump’s tariffs to surpass $1 trillion as it succeeded in diversifying away from the U.S., moved its manufacturing sector up the value chain, and used the leverage it has gained in rare earth minerals – crucial inputs into the West’s security scaffolding – to push back against pressure from the U.S. or Europe to curb its surplus.
U.S. Inflation Elevated
What notably did not happen was the economic calamity and high inflation that legions of economists predicted would unfold from Trump’s tariffs.
The U.S. economy suffered a modest contraction in the first quarter amid a scramble to import goods before tariffs took effect, but quickly rebounded and continues to grow at an above-trend pace thanks to a massive artificial intelligence investment boom and resilient consumer spending. The International Monetary Fund, in fact, twice lifted its global growth outlook in the months following Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs announcement in April as uncertainty ebbed and deals were struck to reduce the originally announced rates.
And while U.S. inflation remains somewhat elevated in part because of tariffs, economists and policymakers now expect the effects to be milder and short-lived than feared, with cost sharing of the import taxes occurring across the supply chain among producers, importers, retailers and consumers.
What To Look Out For
A big unknown for 2026 is whether many of Trump’s tariffs are allowed to stand. A challenge to the novel legal premise for what he branded as “reciprocal” tariffs on goods from individual countries and for levies imposed on China, Canada and Mexico tied to the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in late 2025, and a decision is expected in early 2026.
The Trump administration insists it can shift to other, more-established legal authorities to keep tariffs in place should it lose. But those are more cumbersome and often limited in scope, so a loss at the high court for the administration might prompt renegotiations of the deals struck so far or usher in a new era of uncertainty about where the tariffs will end up.
Arguably, just as important for Europe is what is happening with its trading relationship with China, which has been a reliable destination for its exporters. The depreciation of the yuan and the gradual move up the value chain for Chinese companies have helped China’s exporters. Europe’s companies, meanwhile, have struggled to make further inroads into the slowing domestic Chinese market. One of the key questions for 2026 is whether Europe finally uses tariffs or other measures to address what some of its officials are starting to call the “imbalances” in the China-EU trading ties.
Efforts to finally cement a U.S.-China deal loom large as well. A shaky detente reached in this year’s talks will expire in the second half of 2026, and Trump and Xi are tentatively set to meet twice over the course of the year.
And lastly, the free trade deal with the two largest U.S. trading partners – Canada and Mexico – is up for review in 2026 amid uncertainty over whether Trump will let the pact expire or try to retool it more to his liking.
(with inputs from Reuters)
Myanmar’s Election Tests India’s Eastern Strategy
Myanmar’s military has announced elections beginning December 28, spread across multiple phases into January, but the process is designed to preserve military control rather than transfer power, according to Dr Cchavi Vasisht, Associate Fellow at the Chintan Research Foundation
The military, which has ruled Myanmar directly or indirectly for more than seven decades, framed the vote as part of a roadmap released after the 2021 coup. That roadmap promised elections and reforms to the election commission. In practice, the system rests firmly on the 2008 Constitution, which guarantees the military 25 percent of parliamentary seats, giving it an effective veto over any constitutional change. Past attempts by the National League for Democracy to amend this framework failed for that reason.
The constitution also allows elections to be held in phases and only in selected areas. This provision is now central to the military’s plan. Polling will take place mainly in central regions under army control, while elections have been cancelled in at least 65 townships, mostly in border areas described as “unstable.” Many of these regions are controlled by ethnic armed groups that now run local administration, courts, and economic activity.
The playing field has narrowed further through restrictive party registration rules. High membership thresholds and financial requirements have excluded dozens of parties, including the NLD, effectively clearing the path for the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party to retain power. A new election protection law has also introduced harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for opposing the process.
Despite questions over legitimacy, regional and global powers are expected to engage with the post-election government. Dr Vasisht argues that isolating Myanmar has previously pushed it closer to China, a scenario India and others want to avoid. Myanmar shares a long land and maritime boundary with India and sits at the junction of South and Southeast Asia, making disengagement costly.
Aung San Suu Kyi remains imprisoned, with no clear information about her health or location. While her past role in Myanmar’s political transition is acknowledged, her current influence is uncertain. Meanwhile, violence continues, ethnic conflicts persist, and instability is likely to remain a defining feature of Myanmar’s political landscape even after the vote. Watch the full interview to understand why Myanmar is important for India.
Syria’s Prisons Fill Up Again With Alawites, Christians And Shias
The first wave of detentions in the new Syria came almost immediately – just after victorious rebels flung open the doors of Bashar al-Assad’s notorious prisons.
As ordinary Syrians stormed detention complexes last December to search for loved ones who had vanished under Assad’s rule, thousands of the deposed dictator’s soldiers who had abandoned their posts – officers and conscripts alike – were taken prisoner by the rebels.
Then came the second wave in late winter: Hundreds of people from Assad’s Alawite sect, mostly men, were seized by the new authorities throughout Syria. Their detentions spiked after a brief uprising along the coast in March killed dozens of security forces, sparking reprisals that left nearly 1,500 Alawites dead. Those arrests continue to this day.
Beginning in summer there was another round of mass detentions, this time in the south among the minority Druze community. It came after hundreds died in an outbreak of sectarian violence, with government forces accused of summary executions and other abuses.
Throughout, there were other detentions from all denominations in the name of security: large numbers of people, many from Syria’s Sunni majority, accused of vague links to
Assad; human-rights activists; Christians who say they have been shaken down for information or money; Shi’ites picked up at checkpoints and accused of ties with Iran or Hezbollah.
Prisons and lockups that jailed tens of thousands of people during Assad’s rule are now crowded with Syrians detained by President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s security forces and held without formal charges, a Reuters investigation has found.
Reuters compiled the names of at least 829 people who have been detained on security grounds since Assad’s demise a year ago, according to interviews with family members of the detainees and people who themselves were in detention. In reaching this number, Reuters also reviewed some lists of detainees created by people who organized family
visits to seven facilities.
Interviews, lists of detainees and multiple accounts of overcrowding in the prisons and lockups suggest that the number of security detainees is considerably higher than the tally that Reuters was able to establish.
Car Bomb Kills Russian General In Moscow, Ukraine Hand Suspected
A Russian general was killed by a car bomb in southern Moscow on Monday, Russian
investigators said, adding that they suspected Ukrainian special services could have been behind the attack.
The bomb exploded under the Kia Sorento car driven by Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian General Staff’s army operational training directorate, as he left a parking space at 06:55 Moscow time (0355 GMT).
Russia’s State Investigative Committee said Sarvarov had died from his injuries. It published video of the wrecked vehicle, with blood visible on the driver’s seat and one of the doors blown off.
Svetlana Petrenko, a spokesperson for the committee, said investigators were gathering forensic evidence, questioning witnesses and reviewing security camera footage.
“Various versions for the killing are being examined, one of which involves the possible role of Ukrainian intelligence services in organising the crime,” she said.
There was no official comment from Ukraine.
Myrotvorets, an unofficial Ukrainian website that provides a database of people described as war criminals or traitors, updated its entry on Sarvarov to say the 56-year-old had been “liquidated”.
A string of Russian military figures and high-profile supporters of Moscow’s war in Ukraine have been assassinated during the nearly four-year-old conflict, and Ukrainian military
intelligence has said it was responsible for a number of the attacks.
Among those killed in previous car bombings in or near Moscow were a senior member of the General Staff, the chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops and the daughter of a prominent Russian nationalist figure.
Interfax news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying President Vladimir Putin had been instantly informed of the attack on Sarvarov.
China Slams U.S. for Seizing Venezuela Oil Tanker Bound for China
China on Monday sharply criticised the United States for intercepting a China-bound oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast, calling the action a “serious violation of international law.” Beijing’s response marks its strongest public reaction yet to Washington’s expanding maritime enforcement campaign against Venezuela’s oil exports.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters that Venezuela “has the right to develop relations with other countries” and that China “firmly opposes all unilateral and illegal sanctions.” Lin urged the U.S. to “respect international law and the norms of international relations” and to avoid actions that could escalate regional tensions.
U.S. Intercepts Sanctioned Tanker Carrying Venezuelan Crude
The criticism followed Washington’s interception on Saturday of the oil tanker Centuries in international waters off Venezuela, the second such seizure in a week. The operation came days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a “blockade” targeting all sanctioned tankers entering or leaving the South American country.
According to documents reviewed by Reuters, the Centuries had loaded 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey crude oil and was bound for China under a false flag, operating under the name “Crag.” The cargo was reportedly purchased by Satau Tijana Oil Trading, an intermediary involved in Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA’s sales to independent Chinese refiners.
A White House spokesperson said the tanker formed part of Venezuela’s “shadow fleet” and accused it of carrying sanctioned oil in violation of U.S. restrictions. The official described the ship as a “falsely flagged vessel” engaged in illicit trade designed to evade sanctions.
Venezuela and China Denounce “Piracy”
Venezuela’s government condemned the interception as “a serious act of international piracy,” saying it violated the country’s sovereignty and international maritime law. Caracas has been seeking to maintain crude exports despite years of U.S. sanctions targeting its energy sector.
China, which remains Venezuela’s largest oil customer, continues to import roughly 4% of its total crude supply from the country. Beijing has consistently criticised U.S. secondary sanctions, arguing that they disrupt global trade and undermine developing nations’ economic rights.
Rising Geopolitical Tensions
The latest seizure underscores growing friction between Washington, Beijing and Caracas as the U.S. expands its maritime operations in the Caribbean and Atlantic to curb Venezuela’s sanctioned oil trade. Analysts warn that the move risks inflaming broader geopolitical tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
Beijing has reiterated that its energy cooperation with Venezuela is based on “mutual respect and equality” and insists that such trade is lawful. Chinese officials have also urged all parties to pursue dialogue rather than confrontation in resolving disputes related to global energy markets.
With multiple U.S. naval operations now active in the region, observers say further seizures could heighten the standoff and disrupt crude flows from one of the world’s most heavily sanctioned oil producers.
with inputs from Reuters