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Iran publicly showcased its domestically produced "Witness" series of drones, displaying models it says were used in last June's direct clash with Israel. The demonstration blends technical claims with psychological signalling and underlines the growing operational and geopolitical importance of Iranian unmanned systems in the region.
The U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Dan Kain, is convening defence leaders from 34 Western Hemisphere states in a rare summit aimed at coordinating responses to drug trafficking and organised crime. The meeting follows an intensified U.S. military campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that has included dozens of strikes on vessels the U.S. says are drug-related, actions that have drawn scrutiny because public evidence has not been released.
Mass demonstrations in Caracas on January 23 denounced an alleged U.S. military operation that protesters say detained President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on January 3. The protests invoked the historic 1958 uprising to frame the mobilization as a defence of sovereignty and carry implications for regional diplomacy, legal norms and great-power competition.
A vessel that went missing in Davao Bay on January 19 has resulted in seven confirmed deaths and multiple people still missing, officials said on January 24. The Philippine Coast Guard rescued one survivor and continues search-and-rescue operations while the cause of the sinking remains unclear.
China has opened the first half of its 2026 conscription drive with a targeted focus on university students, loosening age limits for graduates and offering tuition reimbursement, loan repayment and preferential graduate-admission quotas. The measures aim to supply the PLA with technically skilled personnel amid demographic headwinds and intensifying competition for talent.
Denmark says it will continue talks with the United States while prioritising de-escalation, even as it hosts a long-running multinational NATO exercise in Greenland and moves troops and temporary military zones onto the island. The parallel tracks of diplomacy and military preparation underscore Greenland’s rising strategic importance and raise risks of miscalculation among allies and rivals.
The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group has entered the Indian Ocean as part of a wider US military buildup aimed at deterring Iran, accompanied by transport and refuelling aircraft and augmented missile-defence systems. The deployment signals deterrence and operational flexibility but carries risks of miscalculation amid sharp rhetoric from Tehran and continued political tension.
CATL and Fujian Provincial Automotive Transport Group signed a strategic framework to cooperate on aftermarket services, city battery‑swap infrastructure and V2G technology to accelerate public‑transport electrification. The partnership pairs CATL’s manufacturing and system capabilities with a state‑owned operator’s fleet and routes, creating a potential testbed for scalable electrified transit solutions.
Apple has initiated a major New‑Year sale on its Tmall store in China, cutting the iPhone Air’s effective price by roughly RMB 2,500 and extending discounts across its device lineup. The move — the third sizable promotion in about a month — highlights demand pressures in China and precedes Apple’s January 29 quarterly results.
Honor’s Magic8 RSR Porsche Design model recorded the highest first‑day sales revenue among the brand’s Porsche‑branded phones. Priced from RMB 7,999 and featuring Qualcomm’s fifth‑generation Snapdragon 8 platform, up to 24GB RAM and CETC satellite chips supporting Tiantong and BeiDou, the handset highlights demand for premium, domestically integrated devices in China.
CATL and Fujian Province Automobile Transport Group signed a strategic framework to cooperate on aftermarket services, citywide battery‑swap networks and V2G technology. The partnership could accelerate fleet electrification, create new revenue streams for batteries as services, and test models for grid integration, but faces interoperability, regulatory and capital challenges.
Ninebot announced that its cumulative domestic shipments of intelligent two‑wheel electric vehicles exceeded 10 million units, celebrating the milestone at its Changzhou factory and an accompanying user conference. The milestone underscores China’s manufacturing scale in micromobility and marks a shift from pure volume growth toward higher‑value products, services and regulatory scrutiny.
China’s securities regulator has fined Zhejiang Ruifengda and linked private fund entities a combined RMB 41 million and banned its controller from market participation for life, part of a wider campaign against private fund malpractice. The move, which pairs firm‑level sanctions with personal punishment and potential criminal referrals, signals an intensified regulatory push to clean up the private fund industry and raise the cost of misconduct.
Li Yapeng’s January 23 livestream on Douyin drew millions of viewers and generated over ¥50 million in sales within 90 minutes, topping the platform’s commerce charts. The event came amid scrutiny over property and financial questions tied to a children’s hospital and the celebrity-backed Yanran Angel charity, provoking calls for more professional management and greater transparency.
Haidilao’s founder Zhang Yong has returned as CEO after four years amid a sharp deterioration in traffic and profitability: first‑half 2025 revenue fell 3.7% and net profit 13.7%, with customer visits down 10 million. The chain’s high labour costs, failed expansion, and mixed results from incubated sub‑brands have left it vulnerable to increasingly price‑sensitive young consumers, forcing a management rethink on efficiency and product strategy.
On January 23, risk assets split: US major indices finished mixed while gold and silver surged to record nominal highs and oil rallied. Intel’s disappointing guidance triggered a sharp sell-off in its shares and weighed on semiconductor sentiment, even as select big-tech names gained. Commodity strength, driven by safe-haven flows and supply concerns, prompted Goldman to lift its 2026 gold target to $5,400 an ounce.
China ended 2025 with 5% GDP growth and its economy topping RMB 140 trillion. For 2026 economists expect coordinated fiscal and targeted monetary easing to prioritise domestic demand, with consumption and services leading a structural shift toward technology-driven growth.
As China begins the 15th Five‑Year Plan, policymakers are prioritising a large lift in household consumption and shifting subsidies toward services. The heaviest spenders in 2026 are likely to be asset‑rich middle‑aged women and digitally engaged retirees, who together offer more durable, high‑value consumption than younger cohorts. Brands that invest in scientific credibility, trust‑building and community models will be best positioned to capture this demand.
A former husband, and ex-deputy general manager of STO Express, has sued to claim half of a 40.57 million-share block held in the name of co-founder Chen Xiaoying, seeking about 20.28 million shares worth roughly 280 million yuan. STO says the suit concerns a private divorce-related shareholder qualification dispute and will not materially affect operations or control, but the case raises broader questions about governance in family-controlled Chinese listed companies.
Shandong reported 2025 GDP of about 10.32 trillion RMB, roughly $1.48 trillion at current exchange rates, placing it among the world’s largest subnational economies. The milestone reflects deep industrial roots, deliberate upgrading toward high‑tech sectors, institutional reforms and an emphasis on regional coordination and green transition, but significant challenges remain in sustaining high‑quality, low‑carbon growth.
