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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s January visit to Shanghai highlights the continuing commercial importance of China to global AI hardware suppliers. At the same time, Beijing’s new measures to develop commercial satellite data and a string of corporate preparations for public listings, such as Zhongke Yuhang’s completed IPO counselling, show China steering capital and policy toward space and data‑intensive technologies while tightening data governance.

A broad commodities rally led by metals has accelerated on the back of AI, EVs and robotics. Copper is forecast to remain in deficit this year and possibly worsen, while gold targets have been raised to unprecedented levels as investors seek real assets amid uncertainty.

A southern PLA brigade is deepening air–ground integration by embedding pilots in ground units, rotating ground commanders into flight training, and linking command systems to distribute fused sensors to cockpits and soldier terminals. The measures aim to speed target sharing and synchronise effects but increase dependence on resilient datalinks and rehearsed contingency habits under electromagnetic stress.

A University of Michigan professor warns that Ford and General Motors risk becoming niche producers focused on pickups and SUVs if they lose market share in Canada, Mexico and other markets. Such a retreat would have wide economic and strategic consequences, as global demand shifts toward smaller, electrified vehicles and non‑US competitors expand abroad.

Iraq’s Coordination Framework has nominated former prime minister Nouri al‑Maliki to lead the next government, setting up a fast‑moving constitutional process that will require rapid coalition building. Maliki’s experience and polarising record make him a potent but contentious choice, with implications for domestic reform efforts and Baghdad’s regional alignments.

A 30-year-old veteran and graduate student, Wu Haozhi, has reconstructed a traditional Chinese wooden sailboat type known as the "sigua paozi" after two years of archival research, sourcing rare timbers and enlisting elderly shipwrights. His efforts produced a museum-held vessel, a comprehensive local ship manual and 3D models, while spotlighting the broader risks facing orally transmitted maritime crafts.

A PLA border unit in Tibet has been running a multi-year education and civic-engagement programme, providing one-on-one tutoring, national-defence instruction and household assistance in a remote Looba (Luoba) village. The initiative has improved student performance and local livelihoods while deepening civil–military links and patriotic socialisation in a sensitive border area.

Apple has launched a large Lunar New Year promotion in China that cuts 2,000 yuan off the iPhone Air and applies discounts across Macs, iPads and accessories. The move, coupled with deeper third‑party markdowns, points to inventory and demand pressures for the iPhone Air months after its launch and illustrates Apple’s tactical use of price to defend share in a fiercely competitive high‑end Chinese market.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Shanghai to inspect the company's new Zhangjiang offices and engage with staff and suppliers, signalling continued commitment to China. A central objective is to clarify compliance and sales pathways for the H200 accelerator after its conditional approval for export to China, while deepening local supply‑chain and software ties.

Apple will cut the price of the 256GB iPhone Air from ¥7,999 to as low as ¥5,499 during Tmall’s Lunar‑New‑Year sale, a ¥2,500 drop driven by an official price cut plus advertised national rebates. The move, alongside recent promotions on Pro models, indicates Apple is using more aggressive discounting to navigate a price‑sensitive and highly competitive Chinese smartphone market.

Apple will slash the 256GB iPhone Air price in China’s Tmall New Year festival from Rmb7,999 to Rmb5,499 through an official Rmb2,000 cut plus a national subsidy, part of broader discounts across its product range. The move highlights Apple’s tactical use of platform promotions to stimulate demand amid fierce competition from domestic rivals and a maturing smartphone market.

Apple has initiated a major New‑Year promotion in China via its Tmall flagship, cutting up to RMB 2,500 from the iPhone Air’s launch price and offering discounts across Macs, iPads and accessories. The sale — timed for Lunar New Year and supported by limited stock allocations — signals aggressive channel management and highlights the Chinese market’s growing price sensitivity and the role of eSIM adoption in Apple’s local strategy.

Apple has cut the iPhone Air price in China by up to ¥2,500, combining a ¥2,000 official discount with a national subsidy to bring the starting price to about ¥5,499. The unprecedented promotion reflects weak smartphone demand and intense competition in China, and raises questions about Apple’s premium positioning and margin strategy in its largest overseas market.

Iraq has bolstered military deployments along the Syria border after the U.S. began transferring Islamic State detainees from northeast Syria to Iraqi custody. Baghdad received an initial group of 150 detainees as Washington prepares to move up to 7,000 in total, prompting concerns about prison capacity and the security implications for the region.

President Trump’s claim of a NATO‑backed ‘framework’ on Greenland, promising U.S. “full access” without payment, has provoked firm rejections from Denmark and Greenland. The alleged deal appears aimed at expanding U.S. military access — including stationing a missile‑defence system — and securing preferential rights to Greenland’s strategic minerals, but it runs headlong into legal sovereignty and alliance politics.

A senior Iranian official declared that any form of attack will be treated as a full-scale war as Tehran puts its forces on high alert, responding to U.S. reports of increased deployments to the Middle East. The warning narrows the space for limited military responses and raises the risk of miscalculation in an already volatile region.

Several Guangdong counties have merged their civil affairs and veterans affairs bureaus as part of a wider county‑level streamlining drive. The consolidations aim to cut costs and simplify services for veterans, though success depends on genuine integration of processes, data and oversight rather than symbolic rebranding.

China’s new 054B frigates, commissioned in early 2025, represent a significant upgrade in hull size, stealth profiling and sensor integration for the PLAN. The class’s 5,000-ton displacement, integrated stealth mast with dual-sided phased-array radar and a new 100 mm gun point to enhanced endurance, survivability and fleet networking, though key weapon-fit details remain unspecified.

CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper visited Israel on 24 January, with U.S. media and Israeli broadcasters reporting his arrival and the presence of a high‑level U.S. delegation. The combined military and diplomatic visit signals Washington’s continued operational coordination and political engagement with Israel amid persistent regional tensions.

The United States has moved the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group into the Indian Ocean and increased air and missile‑defence assets in the broader Middle East theatre as a hedge against possible Iranian actions. While imagery shows no massive buildup on strategic bases such as Diego Garcia, transport flights and defensive deployments signal sustained readiness, even as political rhetoric on both sides heightens the risk of miscalculation.