ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Jan. 20 -- TOSHIBA GLOBAL COMMERCE SOLUTIONS, INC., Durham, North Carolina has been assigned a patent (No. US 12530669 B2, initially filed Aug. 31, 2023) developed by Serhii Maksymenko, Kharkov, Ukraine, and Evgeny Shevtsov, Plano, Texas, for "Activity detection at point of sale." more PT

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Jan. 20 -- SNAP INC., Santa Monica, California has been assigned a patent (No. US 12530075 B1, initially filed Nov. 18, 2024) developed by seven inventors Georgios Evangelidis, Vienna, Austria; Vsevolod Konjahhin, Vienna, Austria; Laura Rosalia Luidolt, Vienna, Austria; Simon Schreiberhuber, Vienna, Austria; Dmytro Siryk, Vienna, Austria; Ihor Tymchyshyn, Kyiv, Ukraine; and Kai Zhou, Wiener Neudorf, Austria, for "Augmented reality (AR) content-sharing with AR-deprived audi more PT

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 -- British Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones announced a series of reforms to overhaul the civil service and create a digital state during a speech at What3Words in London. Jones detailed plans to reduce bureaucratic layers by cutting approval processes and established a new National School of Government and Public Services to build in-house technical skills. The reforms include a shift in hiring criteria to prioritize delivery experience over policy drafti more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis posted the following commentary on Jan. 20, 2026: * * * The Balkan Limbo and Wobbly Western Resolve The Western Balkans enter 2026 in limbo rather than crisis; policymakers in Washington and Brussels need to grasp the distinction. By Blerim Vela While crises demand immediate decisions and high-level interventions, limbo delays them and quietly yet profoundly reshapes regional incentives, alliances, and risk calculations. Acros more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis posted the following commentary on Jan. 20, 2026: * * * Moldova's Unification With Romania Back on the Table More than three decades after the collapse of the USSR, the old narrative about Moldova's unification with Romania is again revived. By Denis Cenusa In the maelstrom of events in early 2026, one has been missed. Moldova's President Maia Sandu said on January 12 that if her mostly Romanian-speaking country were asked to vo more PR

ITHACA, New York, Jan. 20 -- Cornell University posted the following news: * * * Study maps path to cut Europe's gas dependence exposed by war * The war in Ukraine sent shockwaves through Europe's energy system, exposing how deeply the region depends on imported natural gas, and how vulnerable that dependence can be during geopolitical crises. A new Cornell-led study finds that Europe could sharply reduce that vulnerability while accelerating climate action by expanding renewable energy and  more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following commentary on Jan. 20, 2026: * * * The Geopolitics of Maduro's Capture: What Does Operation Absolute Resolve Mean for Russia? By Henry Ziemer The capture of Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces on January 3, 2026, has sent shockwaves around the world. U.S. adversaries in Beijing, Moscow, and Havana are closely watching what the future may hold for their own aspirations in the Western Hemisphere. In the ca more PR

NEW YORK, Jan. 20 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news: * * * Dirty (Baker's) Dozen: 13 Harmful Trump 2.0 Administration Immigration, Citizenship, and Refugee Policies, as of January 20, 2026 * From the day it took office, January 20, 2025, the second Trump administration has spawned new immigration policies at a dizzying pace. Some obliterated with the stroke of a pen programs that had been built over decades to enable avenues to safety for people fleein more PR

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Jan. 21 -- The European Union issued the following news release: * * * EU must respond decisively to any form of coercion against EU member states * Greenland must not be used as a tool to divide the European Union * EU global political influence does not reflect its economic power * Enlargement a geostrategic investment in regional security and stability * Parliament calls for increased and coordinated defence spending * Call for unified EU response to US threats to Gr more PR

STRASBOURG, France, Jan. 21 -- The European Committee of social rights, an arm of the Council of Europe, issued the following news: * * * European Committee of social rights highlights key gaps in labour rights protection across Europe Excessive hours and gender pay gaps among issues * The European Committee of social rights (ECSR) has published its 2025 conclusions. These legal assessments of the performance of signatory countries in terms of key work-related rights protected by the Europe more PR

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Jan. 20 [Category: International] -- The European Policy Centre issued the following commentary by senior visiting fellow Chris Kremidas-Courtney: * * * China's hacking of Russia reveals the boundaries of their partnership Recent disclosures that a Chinese cyber-espionage group known as APT31 has quietly penetrated Russian technology firms for years should reshape how Europe understands the China-Russia relationship. The reporting on this hacking is striking. Chinese acto more PR

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Jan. 20 [Category: International] -- The European Policy Centre posted the following commentary by policy analyst Varg Folkman: * * * Europe must retaliate against the US Over the weekend, Donald Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs on a group of European countries defending Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland. With this latest move, Trump has taken his coercive trade diplomacy one step further. He is no longer simply demanding one-sided trade concessions; he is n more PR

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Jan. 21 -- The European Policy Centre posted the following commentary by Elizabeth Kuiper, associate director and head of the Health and Societal Resilience Programme: * * * Why Europe needs societal resilience as much as security The Finnish word "Sisu" embodies the spirit that the European Union urgently needs. Often translated to perseverance and resilience under pressure, it also implies resolve, preparedness and a willingness to act. The EU appears trapped in a geopol more PR

LONDON, England, Jan. 21 -- The British Department for Energy Security and Net Zero issued the following news release: * * * Families to save in biggest home upgrade plan in British history Government launches 'Warm Homes Plan' to upgrade the nation's homes, help families cut their energy bills, and tackle fuel poverty. From: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP and The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP * Government launches pound sterling15 billion 'Warm  more PR

NEW YORK, Jan. 20 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news: * * * Five Year Sentence for Speaking Out Against War on Ukraine * On January 19, a court in Makhachkala, the capital city of Russia's Dagestan region, sentenced women's rights defender and journalist Svetlana Anokhina to five years in prison for allegedly spreading "fake news" about the Russian armed forces. The sentence was handed down in absentia : Anokhina left Russia in 2021 after a shelter he more PR

GENEVA, Switzerland, Jan. 20 -- Fortify Rights, a team of human rights defenders, issued the following joint statement by 231 organisations: * * * Joint Statement: Save the ICC and the Rule of Law Reliable sources indicate that the United States (US) plans to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an institution in the coming weeks. This follows a series of designations, first against the ICC Prosecutor, Deputy Prosecutors, judges, Palestinian NGOs, and also the UN Special Rappor more PR

NEW YORK, Jan. 21 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news: * * * Global: States should enable broad civil society participation in the negotiations on The Convention on Crimes Against Humanity, and ensure the rights of persons with disabilities * Ahead of the first session of the Conference Preparatory Committee and the Working Group for the negotiations of a Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity, which will meet from 19 to 3 more PR

LONDON, England, Jan. 21 -- The British Ministry of Defence issued the following news: * * * High North security set to be focus of Defence Secretary visit to Denmark * * UK and Denmark to hold defence talks today as Defence Secretary John Healey travels to Copenhagen. * Ukraine support, industrial cooperation and the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) will be discussed, as well as how European nations can step up on security in the High North. * Comes as planning continues for major JEF more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 -- Hudson Institute, a research organization that says it promotes leadership for a secure, free and prosperous future, posted the following commentary on Jan. 20, 2026, to RealClearWorld: * * * The US Doesn't Need to Annex Greenland to Win in the Arctic By Luke Coffey After the successful and audacious military operation to capture Venezuela's narco-terrorist dictator, Nicolas Maduro, attention has unexpectedly shifted north to Greenland. This reignited a debate that few more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 -- Hudson Institute, a research organization that says it promotes leadership for a secure, free and prosperous future, posted the following commentary on Jan. 19, 2026, to the Washington Times: * * * China's Arctic Push Threatens Greenland and North American Defense Polar access shortens strike routes and weakens deterrence. By Miles Yu China's Arctic ambition is no longer a curiosity. It is a disciplined campaign -- economic, scientific, diplomatic and informational -- more PR

VIENNA, Austria, Jan. 21 -- The International Press Institute issued the following news: * * * IJ4EU reboots with Euros1.6 million to power cross-border investigations Back for a sixth edition, the Investigative Journalism for Europe fund continues its mission to support watchdog reporting. * IPI's Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) programme is back for another funding cycle, reopening one of Europe's most trusted sources of support for ambitious collaborative reporting. Over the more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on Jan. 20, 2026, in its Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Moscow Targeting Ukrainian Civilians to Break Kyiv By Paul Goble Executive Summary: * After months of a slogging advance against the Ukrainian army and the seizure of small villages in the east without significant territorial gains, Russia has expanded its drone and rocket attacks against major Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv. * Moscow is trying to break th more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on Jan. 20, 2026, in its Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Putin's Irrelevance at Davos Forum is Irreversible By Pavel K. Baev Executive Summary: * Russia's official absence from the World Economic Forum in Davos reflects its sharp economic, technological, and political decline under Russian President Vladimir Putin, leaving Moscow with a diminished role in shaping outcomes of its war against Ukraine. * Putin's prol more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on Jan. 20, 2026, in its Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Russia Seeks Georgia's Concession on Breakaway Regions By Giorgi Menabde Executive Summary: * During the 65th round of Geneva International Discussions in November 2025, Russia and the self-proclaimed republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia once again demanded that Georgia sign a "legally binding agreement on the non-use of force" with the breakaway regions.  more PR

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Jan. 21 -- The European Parliament posted the following news release: * * * MEPs approve "enhanced cooperation" for Euros90 billion EU support loan to Ukraine On Wednesday, Parliament gave its green light to a decision by the Council to apply the enhanced cooperation procedure to provide Ukraine with a Euros90 billion support loan. The EU support loan was agreed at the European Council summit in Brussels on 18 December 2025 and presented by the European Commission on 14 Ja more PR

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Jan. 20 -- VECTOR VITALE IP LLC, North Miami Beach, Florida has been assigned a patent (No. US 12527819 B2, initially filed April 14, 2021) developed by three inventors Peter Novak, Sunny Isles Beach, Florida; Maxim Temnikov, Miami, Florida; and Oleksandr Balakin, Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, for "Method of preventing or treating viral infections." more PT

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 -- Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party, issued the following news release on Jan. 20, 2026: * * * Moolenaar: UK Mega-Embassy Decision "Defies Common Sense" Today, the United Kingdom approved China's plan to build a mega-embassy in London's financial district. The proposed plan calls for the construction of the largest Chinese embassy in Europe on the site of th more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 -- Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama, issued the following news release: * * * One Year of Win After Win: President Trump's Return to the White House * It has now been one year since President Donald J. Trump was inaugurated for a second term, and America began a long overdue course correction. It was a great moment standing in the Capitol Rotunda last year watching President Trump take the oath of office. In just twelve months, the Trump administration has delivered real more PR

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Jan. 20 -- VECTOR VITALE IP LLC, North Miami Beach, Florida has been assigned a patent (No. US 12527820 B2, initially filed May 29, 2024) developed by four inventors Max Temnik, Miami, Florida; Sergey Gurin, Richmond, Virginia; Oleksandr Balakin, Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine; and Peter Novak, Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, for "Pharmaceutical composition and method for suppressing degeneration." more PT

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released the following written testimony by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, from a Jan. 14, 2026, member day hearing on the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act (H.R. 2011): * * * Thank you, Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen, for holding this hearing today. As you draft the bipartisan Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill, I ask you to include H.R. 2011, the bipartisan Sarah Debbink  more PR

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Jan. 20 -- Two inventors, Ilshat Garipov, Haapsalu, Estonia, and Evgeniya Medvedeva, Kharkov, Ukraine, have been awarded a design patent (No. US D1109705 S1, initially filed May 20, 2024) for "Socket." more PT

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Jan. 20 -- ANGETIS AIR LLC, Columbia, Maryland has been assigned a patent (No. US 12528090 B2, initially filed June 12, 2023) developed by three inventors Igor Krichtafovitch, Kiev, Ukraine; Alan Viosca, Seattle, Washington; and Larry Rothenberg, Kensington, Maryland, for "Spark tolerant electrostatic precipitator." more PT

GENEVA, Switzerland, Jan. 21 -- The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued the following news release on Jan. 20, 2026: * * * Sudan: Warn about intensification in Kordofan UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Sunday ended a five-day visit to Sudan with a stark warning to the parties to the conflict: the horrific violations and abuses committed during the capture of El Fasher, North Darfur must under no circumstances be repeated in Kadugli and  more PR

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Jan. 20 -- Seven inventors Stefan Hermanek, San Francisco, California; Andrii Cherednychenko, Kyiv, Ukraine; Andrey Kvachov, Kyiv, Ukraine; Armine Seropyan, Marina del Rey, California; Ostap Korkuna, San Carlos, California; Volodymyr Nykytiuk, San Francisco, California; and Eric Jeske, Tiburon, California, have been awarded a patent (No. US 12530357 B2, initially filed April 9, 2024) for "Systems and methods for matching electronic activities with whitespace domains to rec more PT

GENEVA, Switzerland, Jan. 20 -- The United Nations Human Rights Council issued the following news release: * * * Sudan: Warn about intensification in Kordofan UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Sunday ended a five-day visit to Sudan with a stark warning to the parties to the conflict: the horrific violations and abuses committed during the capture of El Fasher, North Darfur must under no circumstances be repeated in Kadugli and Dilling, in South Kordofan. During his visit more PR

GENEVA, Switzerland, Jan. 20 -- The United Nations Human Rights Council issued the following news release: * * * Ukraine: Turk says outraged by continued Russian attacks on energy infrastructure UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said he was outraged by the repeated large-scale attacks by the Russian Federation on energy infrastructure in Ukraine, following further strikes last night that shut down heating and electricity in major urban areas, including in Kyiv and Odesa. "This, as the people more PR

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 20 -- The following federal patents were awarded to inventors in California. *** Systems and Methods for Rendering and Retaining Application Data Associated With a Plurality of Applications Within a Group-Based Communication System ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Jan. 20 -- SALESFORCE, INC., San Francisco, California has been assigned a patent (No. US 12530209 B2, initially filed Nov. 17, 2023) developed by Michael Hahn, San Francisco, California, for "Systems and methods for rend more ST

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 20 -- The following federal patents were awarded to inventors in Florida. *** Systems and Methods for Estimating Component Degradation in an Inverter ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Jan. 20 -- THE FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES, Miami, Florida has been assigned a patent (No. US 12530511 B1, initially filed June 12, 2025) developed by Arif I. Sarwat, Miami, Florida, and Sukanta Roy, Miami, Florida, for "Systems and methods for estimating component degradation in more ST

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 20 -- The following federal patents were awarded to inventors in Maryland. *** Smart Drop Box ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Jan. 20 -- UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE, Washington, District of Columbia has been assigned a patent (No. US 12530650 B2, initially filed May 3, 2024) developed by seven inventors William Albert Tartal, Baltimore, Maryland; Gabriel Michael Yessin, Arlington, Virginia; Dominique Danielle Strothers, Front Royal, Virginia; Joram Shenhar, Fairfax, Virginia; Joe more ST

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 20 -- The following federal patents were awarded to inventors in Texas. *** Vector Instruction Processing After Primary Decode ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Jan. 20 -- SIFIVE, INC., Santa Clara, California has been assigned a patent (No. US 12530197 B2, initially filed March 8, 2023) developed by Bradley Gene Burgess, Sunset Valley, Texas, and David Kravitz, Cambridge, Massachusetts, for "Vector instruction processing after primary decode." *** System and Method for Real-Time more ST

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 20 -- The following federal patents were awarded to inventors in Virginia. *** High Stiffness Self Leveling Platform ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Jan. 20 -- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR OF NASA, Washington, District of Columbia has been assigned a patent (No. US 12528182 B2, initially filed Aug. 4, 2022) developed by three inventors Thomas C. Jones, Williamsburg, Virginia; William R. Doggett, Poquoson, Virginia; and Iok M. Wong, Poquoson, Virgin more ST

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 20 -- The following federal patents were awarded to inventors in Washington. *** Channel State Information Processing in Communication Networks ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Jan. 20 -- SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Sakai, Japan has been assigned a patent (No. US 12531615 B2, initially filed Aug. 12, 2023) developed by four inventors Tomoki Yoshimura, Camas, Washington; Zhanping Yin, Vancouver, Washington; Rudraksh Shrivastava, Erligheim, Germany; and Atsushi Ishii, Vancouver, Washing more ST

GENEVA, Switzerland, Jan. 21 -- The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued the following news release: * * * Ukraine: Turk says outraged by continued Russian attacks on energy infrastructure UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said he was outraged by the repeated large-scale attacks by the Russian Federation on energy infrastructure in Ukraine, following further strikes last night that shut down heating and electricity in major urban areas, including in Kyiv and  more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service has released Wheat Outlook: January 2026 (WHS-26a), coordinated by Andrew Sowell, projecting 2025/26 U.S. wheat ending stocks at 926 million bushels--up 25 million from December and 8 percent above last year--for the highest level since 2019/20, driven by reduced domestic use and steady exports. Issued January 14, 2026, and approved by USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board, the report holds producti more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report (WASDE-667) on January 12, 2026: Here are excerpts: * * * WHEAT: The outlook for 2025/26 U.S. wheat this month is for slightly larger supplies, lower domestic use, unchanged exports, and larger ending stocks. Beginning stocks are raised 4 million bushels on stock revisions in today's NASS Grain Stocks report. Feed and residual use is reduced 20 million more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service has issued Feed Outlook: January 2026 (FDS-26A), coordinated by Jennifer Bond with contributions from Steven Ramsey and Joshua Huang and approved by USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board, incorporating National Agricultural Statistics Service data that elevate the 2025/26 corn crop to a record 17.0 billion bushels on 91.3 million harvested acres--the highest since 1933--and a yield of 186.5 bushels  more PR

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Jan. 20 -- AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC., Seattle, Washington has been assigned a patent (No. US 12532078 B1, initially filed June 20, 2023) developed by eight inventors Dmitry V Bakin, San Jose, California; Samuel Lee, Los Angeles, California; Alexander Bruce Gentles, Brampton, United Kingdom; Rajesh Reddy Nandyala, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Danylo Dorofeyev, Kyiv, Ukraine; Andrii Uklein, Kyiv, Ukraine; Andrii Shekera, Vyshneve, Ukraine; and Ilya Brailovskiy, Fremont, Califo more PT