Rafah Border Reopening, 5-Year-Old ICE Release and Gold Plunge

Israel reopens Gaza’s key Rafah border crossing, A judge orders the release of a five-year-old child and his father from ICE custody, U.K. envoy Peter Mandelson quits Labour over allegations tied to an Epstein payment, Iran warns that a U.S. attack would trigger a regional war, Gold plunges in a record decline, Nigeria kills a Boko Haram commander and ten militants in a raid, Trump says the Kennedy Center will close for two years, A second woman alleges Jeffrey Epstein sent her to Prince Andrew, A report warns that international humanitarian law is at a “critical breaking point,” and a man survives 48 hours without lungs using an artificial system. Sources:  Verity.News

Israel will reopen the Rafah crossing for limited traffic, Don Lemon is arrested over the Minnesota church protest, The Taliban passes a new law that legalizes slavery in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso dissolves all political parties, President Trump says Vladimir Putin has agreed to halt strikes on Ukrainian cities, Trump nominates Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair, The DOJ announ32ces the release of 3 million more pages of Epstein files, A Panama court voids a Hong Kong firm's canal port deal, Apple acquires Q.ai for a reported $2 billion deal, and a U.K. minister says that a Universal Basic Income may be needed because of AI’s disruption. Sources: Verity.News

the U.K.’s Keir Starmer meets with China’s Xi Jinping, the EU designates Iran's IRGC as a terrorist organization, the IDF reportedly accepts the Gaza Health Ministry’s reported death toll of 71,000, two CBP agents are placed on leave after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, the U.S. Senate blocks a government funding bill, the U.S. Fed holds rates steady at 3.5%-3.75%, China executes 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, Tesla reports its first annual revenue decline in its history, Google DeepMind unveils AlphaGenome AI to predict gene mutations, and scientists discover an Earth-like 'potentially habitable' planet. Sources: Verity.News

Sir Keir Starmer makes the U.K.’s first Prime Minister visit to China in eight years, Syria’s interim President al-Sharaa meets Vladamir Putin, South Korea’s first lady is jailed for accepting luxury bribes, The USS Lincoln arrives in the Middle East amid Iran tensions, Ecuador protest an ICE agent's consulate entry attempt, Rep. Ilhan Omar is attacked at a Minneapolis town hall, A report suggests that FEMA faces 50% staff cuts, The Deputy Chief Minister of the Indian state of Maharashtra dies in an airplane crash, UPS plans to cut 30,000 jobs, and the “Doomsday Clock” ticks closer to midnight.  Sources: Verity.News  

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