10 Things Global News - 29th January 2026
Succinct, unbiased news from around the world
Trump Weighs Strikes as Iran Warned of Far Worse Attack
Maliki Denounces US Interference After Trump Threat
US, Denmark and Greenland Begin Talks on Trump Deal
Starmer Sees Huge Opportunities in China Reset
Fed Holds Rates as Powell Signals No Rush to Cut
Nvidia Linked to DeepSeek AI Used by China’s Military
Kremlin Forecast Signals Defence Output Slowdown
FBI Seizes Georgia 2020 Ballots In Fraud Probe
China Executes Myanmar Scam Mafia Figures
First Female Archbishop Vows To Confront Misogyny
Donald Trump warned Iran that any future US attack would be “far worse” than the June strikes and urged Tehran to negotiate a nuclear deal, writing that time was “of the essence”. Iranian officials said any military action would trigger retaliation against the United States and Israel, and that their armed forces were ready to respond to “any aggression”.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran was open to a “fair and equitable” agreement guaranteeing peaceful nuclear technology and no nuclear weapons.
A US aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, and supporting warships have arrived in the Middle East. Reuters reported that Trump is weighing targeted strikes to encourage renewed protests and has not made a final decision.
Multiple US intelligence reports say Iran’s leadership remains intact despite economic pressure. The European Union is poised to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to its terrorist list and approve new sanctions.
Sources: South China Morning Post, Reuters
Iraq’s former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki denounced “blatant American interference” after Donald Trump threatened to withdraw US support if he is returned to power. Trump wrote that “if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq” and that Iraq has “ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom” without US help.
Al-Maliki was named the nominee of the Coordination Framework, but a parliament session to elect a president was cancelled owing to a lack of quorum, with no alternative date set. In response to Trump’s threat, several hundred people protested near the US embassy in Baghdad, chanting “Yes for Maliki”.
US previously sent a letter to Iraqi politicians saying Washington views al-Maliki negatively. Two US-sanctioned armed groups, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada, rejected attempts to interfere in Iraq’s internal affairs, as political scientist Renad Mansour warned of potential “sanctions” and “access to US dollars”.
Sources: France 24, The Guardian
Talks between the United States, Greenland and Denmark have begun as the three sides seek to resolve a diplomatic crisis over President Donald Trump’s threats against the Arctic territory.
Denmark’s foreign ministry said senior officials from all three met on Wednesday to discuss addressing US security concerns in the Arctic while respecting the Kingdom’s red lines. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington has put in place a process on Greenland, with technical level meetings to follow.
The negotiations follow Trump’s announcement last week of a “framework of a future deal”, in which he pledged to refrain from imposing tariffs on European nations opposing his effort to take possession of the semi-autonomous island. His repeated calls for US control, citing security concerns related to Russia and China, had threatened to fracture the transatlantic alliance before the dispute moved to a diplomatic track.
Sources: Bloomberg, The Independent
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, setting the stage for Britain and China to reset ties as relations between the United States and its European allies are shaken by disputes over security and trade. He is the first British leader to visit China since Theresa May in 2018 and travelled with a large business delegation including executives from banking, pharmaceutical and automobile companies.
Starmer has sought to re-engage with Beijing to revive Britain’s lagging economy, emphasising business over security and human rights after years of Conservative governments took a tougher line. He said it was in Britain’s “national interest to engage with China” and told reporters there were “huge opportunities to be had”.
The visit comes days after Donald Trump threatened 100 percent tariffs on Canada over any trade deal with Beijing and warned European countries, including Britain, with tariffs unless Greenland was sold to the United States, threats he later walked back.
Sources: New York Times, Japan Times
The Federal Reserve held its main interest rate at 3.5 to 3.75 per cent on Wednesday, its first decision to keep rates on hold since July, after three straight quarter-point reductions. In its release, the Fed said uncertainty about the economic outlook remains elevated.
Chair Jay Powell said the economy was growing at a robust rate and the jobs market had been steadying in recent months, so borrowing costs did not appear to be in “significantly restrictive” territory. Official statistics showed annualised GDP growth of 4.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2025, while the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge registered 2.8 per cent in November.
The decision came despite political pressure from Donald Trump for more aggressive cuts, including calling Powell a “moron”. Governors Christopher Waller and Stephen Miran dissented, calling for a quarter-point cut. Powell emphasised the Fed’s independence, warning it would be hard to restore credibility if trust was lost.
Sources: FT, Al Jazeera
A US House committee chair said Nvidia helped China’s DeepSeek hone artificial intelligence models that were later used by the Chinese military, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Representative John Moolenaar wrote to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that documents obtained by the committee from Nvidia showed extensive technical assistance.
Moolenaar said Nvidia personnel helped DeepSeek achieve training efficiency gains through an “optimized co-design of algorithms, frameworks, and hardware”, with internal reporting that “DeepSeek-V3 requires only 2.788M H800 GPU hours for its full training”. He said there was no public indication at the time that DeepSeek’s technology was being used by China’s military.
Moolenaar added that rigorous licensing restrictions and enforcement were essential. Earlier this month, the Trump administration approved sales of Nvidia’s H200 to China with restrictions, including that chips not be sold to entities that assist the Chinese military.
Sources: Reuters, Chosun Daily
Russia’s defence industry is poised to slow sharply in 2026 as the Kremlin prioritises economic stability and balancing finances over further increases in war spending, according to the Economy Ministry’s three-year forecast.
Sectors tied to state defence orders are projected to grow 4%–5% this year, versus roughly 30% in recent years, while war-related outlays are set to fall by almost 11% after a more than 30% annual increase last year.
Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has recast the goal as a balanced budget resilient to lower oil prices and sanctions, and Denis Manturov told Putin that civilian products made up more than 30% of output at defence plants last year. The Economy Ministry estimates show production growth in optics and electronics eased to 11% in 2025 from 28% in 2024.
Russia faces increasing revenue constraints due to lower oil prices, wider discounts on its crude oil sales and logistical bottlenecks intensified by tighter sanctions.
Sources: Bloomberg, Eurasia Review
The FBI served a warrant at the Fulton County Election Hub and Operations Center in Georgia on Wednesday as it probes alleged voter fraud in the 2020 election. County officials said agents were collecting all Fulton County ballots from 2020.
Commissioner Mo Ivory said they were collecting 700 boxes of ballots, with trucks loaded at the facility. An FBI spokesperson said the materials would be taken to the FBI Central Records Complex in Virginia. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey were observed on the scene.
The Justice Department has sued Fulton County officials to force them to hand over 2020 election records, and a judge has not ruled yet. Trump has long claimed the 2020 election was stolen and focused on Fulton County, and he previously asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to ‘find’ enough votes.
Despite multiple prior claims of irregularities during the 2020 election, none have thus far been proven and a review by the DOJ did not support claims of widespread voter fraud.
Sources: CNN, Washington Post
China has executed 11 members of the Ming family criminal group after a court in Wenzhou in China’s Zhejiang province sentenced them to death in September for crimes including intentional homicide, unlawful detention, fraud and casino establishment.
The clan was among the families that ran Laukkaing, a town on Myanmar’s north-eastern border that became a hub for casinos, red-light districts and scam centres. Their operation collapsed in 2023 when ethnic militias who had taken control of Laukkaing detained them and handed them to China.
China’s top court said the group’s scam operations and gambling dens brought in more than 10bn yuan (US$1.44bn) between 2015 and 2023 and contributed to the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens and injuries to many others. The UN estimates hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked to work in scam centres across the region.
Sources: BBC, The Guardian
Dame Sarah Mullally has been confirmed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury in a ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral, becoming the first woman to lead the Church of England. She said she would speak out about misogyny where she sees it, adding that in both her secular career and church ministry she had experienced it at times. Her predecessor, Justin Welby, resigned after accusations he failed to act on information about a prolific abuser.
Mullally said it was right that there was greater scrutiny of her own record on safeguarding. Critics have questioned her actions in one case while she was Bishop of London, though the Church has decided there is no case to answer. She said she was committed to safeguarding and to ensuring greater independence in how complaints are handled.
She legally became archbishop this week and will be installed at Canterbury Cathedral on 25 March, after which she will begin her public duties.
Sources: BBC, Associated Press
On this day …..
On this day in 1933, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as chancellor of Germany, heading a conservative-led coalition government.
Within weeks, emergency decrees and political repression dismantled constitutional protections, paving the way for one-party rule.
The appointment is widely regarded as the decisive legal step in the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the rise of the Nazi dictatorship.
It illustrates how authoritarian systems can emerge through formal political processes rather than open coups.
How resilient are democratic institutions when economic crisis and political polarisation converge?