Powell Criminal Probe, Syria Aleppo Advance and Deadly Australia Wildfires

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

Trump tells Iranians that “help is on its way” amid reports that protest deaths have surpassed 2,000, the world court begins hearings on the Myanmar Rohingya genocide case, Trump ends Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals, Israel reportedly plans a renewed Gaza offensive for March, Israel and Ethiopia hold talks to strengthen their bilateral relations, a GOP representative introduces a bill to annex Greenland as a U.S. state, several DOJ officials resign over the Minneapolis ICE shooting, Google parent Alphabet hits the $4 trillion valuation mark, a study reporting the presence of microplastics in the body is challenged by scientists, and ‘Dilbert’ creator and conservative commentator Scott Adams dies. Sources: Verity.News

The U.S. Dept. of Justice opens a criminal probe into Fed chair Jerome Powell, Syrian forces seize Aleppo, A human rights agency claims that over 500 people are dead in Iran's continuing protests, Israel and Germany sign a security pact amid Iran tensions, Sudan’s government returns to Khartoum after a 3-year exile, President Trump sends a warning to Cuba, The U.S. federal government deploys hundreds more agents to Minneapolis after the ICE shooting, Meta names Dina Powell McCormick as its President and Vice Chair, Indonesia and Malaysia block Grok over child deepfake images, Paramount Skydance sues Warner Bros. Discovery, and deadly wildfires in Australia destroy over 300 structures. Sources: Verity.News

Iran shuts down its internet amid deadly nationwide protests, U.S. federal agents injure two in a Portland, Oregon shooting, South Africa hosts China-led BRICS naval drills, Volodomir Zelenskyy says 2at least 4 are killed and the Qatari embassy is damaged in a Russian attack, Venezuela releases political prisoners, The U.S. House passes a 3-year Affordable Care Act subsidy extension, The U.S. Senate votes to limit President Trump's Venezuela war powers, J.D. Vance ann2ounces a new fraud czar, OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health for personalized care, and a study hypothesizes that AI chatbots show signs of anxiety and PTSD in therapy. Sources: Verity.News

Trump orders the U.S.’ withdrawal from 66 international groups, Rubio outlines a three-phase plan for Venezuela, Trump invites Colombia’s Petro to the White House, Lebanon says that Hezbollah has been disarmed in the south, Trump proposes raising the military budget over 50% to $1.5 trillion, state investigators ‘reluctantly’ withdraw from a probe into the fatal ICE shooting of a woman in Minneapolis, a study links weight-loss injections to rapid weight regain, U.K. police face scrutiny over last year's banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans, Japan's nuclear agency loses a phone with sensitive data in China, and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope confirms the first starless ‘failed galaxy.’  Sources: Verity.News