Minneapolis ICE Escalation, Deadly US Storm and Taipei 101 Climb

India and the EU finalize a free trade deal after nearly 20 years of negotiations, Trump hikes tariffs on South Korea imports to 25%, Trump moves border patrol chief Gregory Bovino out of Minneapolis, Canada announces affordability measures to combat rising costs, France’s National Assembly approves a social media ban for children under 15, the Trump administration faces its first wrongful death lawsuit over its alleged drug boat strikes, California’s Newsom probes TikTok for allegedly censoring anti-Trump content, hundreds of thousands are impacted by flooding in Mozambique, a new study links menopause to the loss of gray matter in the brain, and Anthropic’s CEO warns AI could cause civilization damage. Sources: Verity.News

Donald Trump and Tim Walz hold a “productive” call following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, A deadly winter storm kills at least 28 people and cuts power to 1 million across the U.S., Delcy Rodríguez says she has had “enough of” U.S. orders on Venezuela, China launches a corruption probe into top military officials, Former UK Tory home secretary Suella Braverman defects to Reform, Protests erupt in Bangladesh over Sheikh Hasina’s Delhi speech, India reportedly agrees to slash EU car import tariffs as part of a major trade deal, The EU investigates X's Grok AI over deepfake image claims, Gold surges past $5,000 an ounce as silver tops $100, and Alex Honnold scales Taipei 101 without ropes in record time. Sources: Verity.News  

Russia, Ukraine and U.S. delegations head to the UAE for their first trilateral meeting, Bangladesh begins campaigning in its first post-uprising vote, the Qatar-gifted Air Force One delivery is expected by the summer of 2026, a report details how Venezuela's Rodríguez claimed that the U.S. pressured Maduro allies, while the U.S. House rejects a resolution blocking military action in Venezuela, Minnesota protests ICE enforcement with a mass walkout, TikTok reaches a deal for a U.S. joint venture to avoid a ban, a Filipina journalist is sentenced to 18 years on terrorism charges, Intel’s stock prices plummet by 17%, and the U.K. home secretary proposes AI “panopticon” surveillance for criminals. Sources: Verity.News

Trump seeks ‘decisive’ options against Iran, Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council reportedly moves to oust the prime minister, Eight nations agree to join Trump's Board of Peace, Trump announces a 'framework' for a Greenland deal, The U.K. postpones local elections for 29 councils, The three former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance face trial for organizing Tiananmen vigils, An ICE memo allegedly allows agents to forcibly enter homes with administrative warrants, The U.S. officially withdraws from the World Health Organization, Deadly landslides strike New Zealand after record rainfall, and the Gates Foundation and OpenAI launch a $50 million AI health initiative in Africa. Sources: Verity.News

President Trump presses on the Greenland issue at Davos, The killer of Japan’s ex-Prime Minister Abe is sentenced to life, Togo extradites an ex-Burkina Faso leader to face charges, New Zealand’s prime minister calls for a Nov. 7 election, A deadly train derailment strikes Barcelona, U.S. House Foreign Affairs members call for elections in Venezuela, ICE launches operations in Maine, The U.S. Dept. of Justice subpoenas Minnesota officials over its immigration probe, A study links wildfire smoke in pregnancy to autism risk, and the AI startup Humans& raises $480M at its $4.48B valuation. Sources: Verity.News  

The U.K. approves plans for a new Chinese 'mega' embassy in London, Israel bulldozes UNRWA’s headquarters in East Jerusalem, Trump proposes a 200% tariff on French wine,  Trump criticizes the U.K.-Chagos Island deal, North Korea's Kim Jong Un publicly fires his vice premier, Over 18 million Yemenis are projected to face a worsening hunger crisis this year, The U.K. launches a consultation on a possible under-16 social media ban, U.S. Fed Chair Powell is reportedly set to attend Gov. Cook’s Supreme Court session, Netflix revises its Warner Bros. offer to a $72 billion all-cash deal, and an Austrian cow becomes the first documented bovine to use tools. Sources: Verity.News

Forty people are killed after two high-speed trains collide in Spain, Trump tells Denmark he has “no obligation” to focus exclusively on peace, Japan’s Takaichi calls a snap election, Syria and the SDF agree to a ceasefire, the DOJ says it will not investigate a fatal ICE shooting and will probe Minnesota protesters and politicians, a third person in 44 days dies at a Texas ICE detention camp, Iran's Supreme Leader admits thousands have been killed in protests but blames Trump, China’s population falls by 3.4 million as births hit their lowest level since 1949, Oxfam reports that billionaire wealth jumps to a record $18.3 trillion, Prince Harry’s trial against the Daily Mail over spying allegations begins, and Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani dies at 93. Sources: Verity.News

South Korea's Yoon is sentenced to five years in relation to his martial law declaration, Canada and China forge a "Strategic Partnership,"  the U.S. and Denmark form a working group amid the ongoing Greenland dispute, Yemen appoints Shaya Mohsen Zindani as its new Prime Minister, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announces emergency energy measures, Starmer signals support for a teen social media ban in the U.K. the U.S. sells $500M in Venezuelan oil, the White House imposes a 25% tariff on advanced AI chips, President Trump signs the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, and a Canadian court says the Emergencies Act use during the Freedom Convoy was “unreasonable.”  Sources: Verity.News

Trump meets with Venezuelan opposition leader Machado at the White House, Robert Jenrick defects to Reform UK after being suspended by the Conservative Party, Trump considers invoking the Insurrection Act amid clashes in Minnesota, Quebec Premier François Legault resigns, Ugandans head to the polls to vote in the presidential election, the U.S. reportedly sees its first negative net migration for the first time in 50 years, Google launches Personal Intelligence for its Gemini AI, a study found no link between screen time and teen anxiety, 26 people are charged in an alleged NCAA point-shaving scheme, and a NASA crew returns to earth early following a medical issue. Sources: Verity.News

U.S., Danish, and Greenlandic officials meet as tensions rise over Trump's acquisition push, President Trump says the “killing in Iran is stopping” after the US threatens “strong action” amid ongoing protests, Canada’s Mark Carney visits China, The U.S. announces the start of phase two of the Gaza peace plan, Uganda shuts down its internet ahead of its upcoming presidential election, South Korea seeks the death penalty for ex-President Yoon, A U.K. police chief admits to misleading lawmakers with AI over the Maccabi fan ban, President Trump says federal payments to sanctuary cities will halt on Feb. 1, The U.S. approves Nvidia H200 AI chip exports to China, and new analysis suggests that 2025 was the third-warmest year on record. Sources: Verity.News