US President Donald Trump has boldly claimed that he would accept the Nobel Peace Prize from this year's winner, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, if she offers it to him during their meet next week. The Nobel Committee, however, has firmly shut the door on the idea, reiterating that Nobel Prizes cannot be revoked, shared or transferred, once announced.

“The facts are clear and well established. Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute said in a statement on Friday.

Maria Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize 2025 last year, for her relentless advocacy for democracy in Venezuela, beating US President Donald Trump's chances of securing the award.

Trump, had time and again claimed that he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Courtesy – his claims of 'stopping eight wars.'

The POTUS said one should get a Nobel Prize for "every war you stopped. These were major wars. These were wars that nobody thought could have stopped".

Trump-Machado meeting amid US-Venezuela tensions

The US President voiced his willingness to accept the prestigious award from Machado after he said he learnt that the Venezuelan opposition leader wants to share the prize with him.

His claims and scheduled meeting with Machado comes at a time when US-Venezuela tensions are at an all-time high after its disposed President Nicolas Maduro's capture and Trump's subsequent claims on the country's vast oil reserves. "I think it's very nice she wants to come in, and that's what I understand the reason is," he said.

Why US attacked Venezuela?

US' ‘large scale strike’ against Venezuela, during which Maduro was captured – followed after months of military buildup in the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and numerous other warships positioned in the Caribbean.

The US has repeatedly accused Venezuelan president Maduro of being one of the world’s leading narco-traffickers – alleging that he worked with cartels to flood the US with fentanyl-laced cocaine.

In 2020, federal prosecutors claimed that Maduro and other senior Venezuelan government officials collaborated with the Colombian guerilla group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC, to traffic cocaine and weapons to the United States.

‘No one in history more deserving…’

Besides crediting himself for ‘ending eight wars’, Trump recently even said that "no one in history is more deserving than him" of the Nobel Peace Prize, as he criticised former President Barack Obama for getting the honour even though he “didn’t do anything”.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces said they, alongside partner forces, conducted large-scale strikes against multiple ISIS targets across Syria on Saturday (January 10). The strikes were carried out around 12:30 pm Eastern Time.

"These strikes are part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched and announced on Dec. 19, 2025, at the direction of President Trump, in direct response to the deadly ISIS attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria, on Dec. 13, 2025," CENTCOM said in a post on X.

"That ambush, carried out by an ISIS terrorist, resulted in the tragic deaths of two American soldiers and one U.S. civilian interpreter," the department added.

“Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” the US Central Command said.

What we know so far

1. The US strikes were carried out in response to an attack last month that killed three Americans.

2. CENTCOM shared the news about the strikes in a post on X but did not give specifics on where they took place.

3. Grainy aerial video accompanying the post showed several separate explosions, apparently in rural areas.

4. The strikes were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike.

5. Two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter were killed on December 13 after a lone gunman -- whom Washington described as an IS militant -- ambushed them in Palmyra.

6. Syria's interior ministry later said the gunman was a member of the security forces who had been set to be fired for extremism.

7. The US and Jordan carried out a round of strikes last month in response to the Palmyra attack, with CENTCOM saying at the time that "more than 70 targets" had been hit.

8. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, claimed that those strikes killed at least five IS members, including a cell leader.

9. On January 3, Britain and France announced joint strikes targeting an underground facility they said IS had likely used to store weapons.

10. The US personnel targeted in Palmyra were reportedly supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the international effort to combat IS, which seized swaths of Syrian and Iraqi territory in 2014.

11. US President Donald Trump has long been sceptical of Washington's presence in Syria, ordering the withdrawal of troops during his first term but ultimately leaving American forces in the country.

12. The Pentagon announced in April that the United States would halve the number of US personnel in Syria in the following months, while US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said in June that Washington would eventually reduce its bases in the country to one.

Indian businessman Harsh Goenka sparked fresh debate on national security after posting on X (formerly Twitter) about India’s strategic priorities in a world shaped by major powers.

In his post, Goenka wrote: “America and Russia show how the world really works. India must build overwhelming military strength to protect its borders, its people, and its destiny. This must be done not to threaten the world, but to ensure that no one dares to threaten us (sic).” The remarks quickly gained attention online, where users offered a range of reactions.

Goenka did not specify a particular international crisis in his post, although some commentators have linked his remarks to recent events in Venezuela, where tensions involving the United States and Russian influence have drawn global attention.

In that case, the United States and Russia have been seen as testing the limits of their power projection; such developments often prompt strategic discussions in countries like India about their own defence preparedness.

Various people proceeded to comment underneath Goenka's post.

A user who goes by the name Santosh Kumar wrote, “India’s main fight is with proxies, communalism, and other anti-national forces. India’s rise as a defence manufacturing hub has only just begun. These wars and threats are designed to sell armaments to countries like India. This is not the game “Age of Empires” (sic).”

An account with the username of Investing Journey with Yogesh wrote, “no other alternative before India. From the Venezuela operation, it is apparent that countries like the US are generations ahead in terms of tech. India needs to go big on building its strength not just through numbers but also through tech (sic).”

Another person by the name of Hrishikesh T commented, “True that. Way more tech first though. Modern warfare is more about rocket science and advanced weapons rather than sheer military size and number of guns. Venezuela had all that. Only thing they lacked was advanced weapons (sic).”

Despite the mix of responses, a recurring theme among commentators was the necessity for India to build credible military strength that can deter threats without provoking unnecessary conflict.

Analysts note that India’s defence strategy, grounded in strategic autonomy, seeks to avoid entanglement in great-power rivalries while ensuring national sovereignty.

As New Delhi continues to balance its relationships with Moscow, Washington and other global powers, voices like Goenka’s add to an ongoing public conversation about the role of military capacity in securing India’s future.

US President Donald Trump issued warnings to Iran’s leadership, saying Washington would intervene if Iranian authorities used lethal force against demonstrators as nationwide protests over economic hardship entered their second week.

“I tell the Iranian leaders — you better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting, too,” Trump said on Friday (January 9) during a meeting with oil executives.

The warning comes amid Iran’s biggest unrest in three years, with demonstrations spreading across multiple provinces and reports of dozens of deaths as rallies turned violent.

Iran threatens death penalty for protesters

Iran’s Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi Azad escalated the government’s response on Saturday (January 10), warning that anyone participating in protests — or even those who “helped rioters” — would be considered an “enemy of God,” a charge that carries the death penalty under Iranian law.

“Prosecutors must carefully and without delay, by issuing indictments, prepare the grounds for the trial and decisive confrontation,” Azad said in remarks reported by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

“Proceedings must be conducted without leniency, compassion or indulgence.”

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has signaled a coming clampdown, despite repeated warnings from Washington.

Trump backs protesters, vows support

Trump voiced support for Iranian demonstrators on January 10, posting on Truth Social: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”

Protests driven by economic collapse

The protests began in Tehran on December 28, when shopkeepers took to the streets over a sharp currency slide, soaring inflation and prolonged economic stagnation.

Iran’s economy has struggled since the United States reimposed sanctions in 2018 after Trump withdrew from the international nuclear agreement. The Iranian rial has lost more than a third of its value against the US dollar over the past year, eroding purchasing power and pushing basic necessities out of reach for many households.

As sanctions tightened and Iran struggled in the aftermath of its June conflict with Israel, the currency fell sharply again in December, triggering widespread unrest.

Trump draws red line on use of force

Trump has repeatedly warned Iran against killing protesters, threatening US retaliation if violence escalates.

“If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States,” Trump said on January 5.

Earlier, on January 2, he issued a stronger warning: “If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”

Asked later about reports of deaths, Trump added: “We’ll take a look. We’re watching it very closely.”

Internet blackout masks scale of unrest

Iran has largely cut itself off from the outside world, shutting down internet access and international phone lines, making it difficult to independently assess the protests.

At least 72 people have been killed and more than 2,300 detained so far, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Iranian state television has focused instead on casualties among security forces while insisting authorities remain in control.