Daily World Briefing, Jan. 15

French gov't survives no-confidence votes in National Assembly

The French government led by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu survived two no-confidence votes on Wednesday after deputies in the National Assembly rejected the motions.

The motions, submitted separately by the hard-left party La France Insoumise (LFI) and the far-right National Rally (RN), accused the government of failing to defend France's interests in negotiations over the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement.

The motion put forward by LFI last Friday garnered 256 votes, falling 32 votes short of the 288 required for adoption, according to the National Assembly. The second motion, tabled by RN on Monday, was also rejected, receiving 142 votes, well below the threshold needed to bring down the government.

U.S. freezes immigrant visa processing from 75 countries

The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday that it is pausing immigrant visa processing from 75 countries.

The measure will apply to "countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people," the department said on X.

The pause impacts countries including Somalia, Haiti, Iran and Eritrea, "whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival," said the State Department.

U.S. announces launch of phase 2 of Gaza peace plan

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday announced the launch of the second phase of the Gaza peace plan, shifting the focus from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance and reconstruction.

"Today, on behalf of President Trump, we are announcing the launch of Phase Two of the President's 20-Point Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction," U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff said on X.

"Phase Two establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel," he said.

Japan's main opposition party, Komeito consider forming new party as election nears: media

Japan's largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) and Komeito have begun coordination with the possibility of forming a new political party, the Asahi Shimbun daily reported on Wednesday.

A senior CDPJ official said the two sides could make a decision as early as Thursday after consultations.

Many Japanese media outlets reported earlier that the two parties are considering deepening fundamental cooperation to broaden their support base and jointly challenge the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the upcoming House of Representatives election.

Denmark sends military reinforcements to Greenland

The Danish Ministry of Defence confirmed on Wednesday that Denmark is increasing its military presence in Greenland.

According to a press release from the ministry, an enhanced military presence in and around Greenland will begin on Wednesday, with Denmark working closely with its NATO allies. The announcement came ahead of a meeting between Denmark, Greenland and the United States held in Washington.

"The purpose is to train the ability to operate under the unique Arctic conditions and to strengthen the alliance's footprint in the Arctic, benefiting both European and transatlantic security," the ministry said.■