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View/ Washington courts African minerals giants as resource race escalates
Rubio to defend Venezuela operation to Congress
The World at a Glance
Updated 5:31pm EST
1
The US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady, citing stabilizing unemployment, taking a breather after three straight cuts last year.
2The US’ top diplomat detailed how the US will control Venezuela’s finances, including a monthly budget review.
3China approved the first purchases of Nvidia’s powerful H200 chips, pointing to a nascent US-China rapprochement.
4The UK’s Keir Starmer is bringing a group of executives to China, as he pursues a reset with the world’s second-largest economy.
5An outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus in India caused nearby countries to step up screening measures, though New Delhi said the outbreak was under control.
6Europe is building armaments at its fastest pace in decades, as the continent aims to manage its defense independently of the US.
US withdrawal from multiple UN agencies raises alarm in Kenya
Nairobi is the organization’s largest hub in the Global South.
James Wakibia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesTrump immigration enforcement under siege from Hill Republicans
From occasional critics of the president to conservative gun-rights advocates, the party is speaking up after Alex Pretti’s death.
Kevin Lamarque/ReutersMiran mired in Fed’s personnel purgatory
Trump’s economic adviser was supposed to step down from the central bank at week’s end. That’s not going to happen.
Louisa Gouliamaki/ReutersZimbabwe inflation drops to single digits for first time in decades
Authorities hailed it as a “historic milestone” after decades marred by hyperinflation and currency collapse.
Jekesai Njikizana/AFP via Getty ImagesAD
Trump has become the ultimate activist investor, and CEOs are gearing up for battle
CEO whisperers and takeover experts are getting more sophisticated around how to fend off, or woo, the US president.
Brendan McDermid/ReutersTrump shifts course — somewhat — in Minnesota after shooting
The president is shaking up enforcement and talking more about working with local officials. Whether it means long-term deescalation is another matter.
Kevin Lamarque/ReutersSenate moves toward Thursday shutdown vote
Avoiding a Jan. 31 shutdown might come down to whether the White House and Democrats agree on changes to immigration enforcement.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters 
Politics
Annabelle Gordon/Reuters
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Kevin Mohatt/Reuters
Democratic demands harden as shutdown impasse grows over DHS
The White House and Hill Republicans are showing flexibility after two US citizens were killed in Minneapolis, but a deal by Friday will be difficult.
Annabelle Gordon/ReutersUS Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady
Despite intensifying pressure from US President Donald Trump to lower borrowing costs, the Fed signaled it isn’t in a rush to trim rates given low layoffs and steady economic growth.
Jonathan Ernst/ReutersMoreno makes final health care offer to Democrats
The Ohio Republican is pitching a one-year extension of enhanced premium tax credits that expired last year, with some limits.
Kevin Mohatt/ReutersTester on Democrats’ chances: ‘Horrible’ message but a winning hand
The former Montana senator spoke with Semafor for a wide-ranging interview about his own political future, ICE funding, and more.
US hurdles toward shutdown fueled by immigration fight
Government funding runs out Friday night.
Rubio to defend Venezuela operation to Congress
The crux of Rubio’s message: The capture of Nicolás Maduro “was an operation to aid law enforcement.”
Trump immigration enforcement under siege from Hill Republicans
From occasional critics of the president to conservative gun-rights advocates, the party is speaking up after Alex Pretti’s death.
Trump adviser Stephen Miran mired in Fed’s personnel purgatory
President Donald Trump’s economic adviser was supposed to step down from the central bank at week’s end. That’s not going to happen.
Brazil’s Lula agrees to US visit following call with Trump
The agreement is a sign that bilateral tensions are easing, after Trump temporarily imposed 50% tariffs on Latin America’s biggest economy last year.
Senate moves toward Thursday shutdown vote
Avoiding a Jan. 31 shutdown might come down to whether the White House and Democrats agree on changes to immigration enforcement.
Trump heads to Iowa for pre-midterms economic messaging tour
The president has tried again and again to pivot to domestic affordability issues amid persistent public angst, only to repeatedly return to foreign policy priorities.
BusinessJonathan Ernst/Reuters
US Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady
Despite intensifying pressure from US President Donald Trump to lower borrowing costs, the Fed signaled it isn’t in a rush to trim rates given low layoffs and steady economic growth.
Jonathan Ernst/ReutersUS Fed expected to hold rates steady, despite pressure from Trump
The decision is overshadowed by threats to its independence and questions over its future leadership.
Europe’s economies faring well despite domestic pessimism
Seven of the world’s top 10 performing economies are European, and ING analysts said Germany’s economy, stagnant for years, is expected to accelerate this year after stimulus.
Investors upped their AI bets, despite fears of bubble
The AI startup Anthropic will raise a further $20 billion in funding at a $350 billion valuation; it sought $10 billion, but investor demand was high.
A decade after Campbell’s Soup, Dan Loeb’s Third Point is back
A brewing proxy fight at real-estate giant CoStar may signal a broader M&A revival.
Technology
Nir Elias/Reuters
NASA, ESA, David O’Ryan (ESA), Pablo Gómez (ESA), Mahdi Zamani (ESA/Hubble)
Anduril launches new drone racing competition
The winner receives a top prize of $500,000 and a job at the defense tech company.
Nir Elias/ReutersEuropean Space Agency uses AI to identify NASA’s Hubble telescope anomalies
The team at the European Space Agency developed a neural network called AnomalyMatch, which analyzes patterns in images and detects unusual objects.
NASA, ESA, David O’Ryan (ESA), Pablo Gómez (ESA), Mahdi Zamani (ESA/Hubble)Data center buildout spurs new laser development
The massive scale of the AI buildout is making new kinds of hardware innovation feasible, like Lightmatter’s new laser.
US court to hear landmark tech addiction case
A 20-year-old woman is suing YouTube and Meta — TikTok and Snapchat settled with her out of court — alleging they designed their platforms to be addictive.
AI changes shape of foreign investment flows
Declining appetite for infrastructure and a slowdown in renewables investments were partly supplanted by the capital poured into data centers and semiconductors.
Anthropic CEO Amodei warns of AI’s fast-coming changes
Dario Amodei’s 19,000-word essay warned against both “doomerism” about AI and dismissiveness of its risks.
Energy
Jim Urquhart/Reuters
Enbridge/Handout via Reuters
A snow storm in 2021. Tom Brenner/Reuters.
Global energy investment hits record high in 2025
Global spending on the energy transition reached $2.3 trillion last year, according to BloombergNEF.
Jim Urquhart/ReutersEuropean countries sign deal for major North Sea wind project
The deal is aimed at strengthening the continent’s energy security by reducing its dependence on fossil fuels.
Enbridge/Handout via ReutersGas prices spike ahead of major US storm
Much of the East Coast and Midwest will see snow and sleet, with travel likely to be disrupted.
A snow storm in 2021. Tom Brenner/Reuters.Gulf
Emilie Madi/Reuters
Dubai billionaire Al Habtoor leaves Lebanon, blames government for $1.7B in losses
The billionaire’s real estate conglomerate has invested more than $1 billion sinc 2001 across Lebanon’s hospitality, retail, leisure, real estate, and finance sectors.
Emilie Madi/ReutersDubai real estate portal Property Finder raises $170M in new financing
The portal that has now raised nearly $1 billion in equity and debt financing from a host of blue-chip backers, including Mubadala, Blackstone, and HSBC.
Visa splits Middle East operations
The kingdom brought in a rule in 2024 that any company wanting to bid for government contracts would have to set up their regional headquarters there.
Dubai to invest $27B in expansion of financial district
The UAE city is doubling down on efforts to fend off regional rivals trying to dethrone it as the Gulf’s top financial hub.
AI changes shape of foreign investment flows
Declining appetite for infrastructure and a slowdown in renewables investments were partly supplanted by the capital poured into data centers and semiconductors.
Africa
Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty Images
Nigerian soldiers from the Multinational Joint Task Force. Joris Bolomey/AFP via Getty Images.
US courts African minerals giants as China rivalry escalates
The summit marks the White House’s latest attempt to build a counterweight to China’s dominance of African mineral supply chains.
Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty ImagesNigeria to try military officers accused of planning coup last year
The trial caps months of concerns about security in Africa’s largest democracy after a series of military takeovers in neighboring nations in recent years.
Nigerian soldiers from the Multinational Joint Task Force. Joris Bolomey/AFP via Getty Images.Zimbabwe inflation drops to single digits for first time in decades
Authorities hailed it as a “historic milestone” after decades marred by hyperinflation and currency collapse.
Zambia unlocks more IMF funds following debt overhaul
The completion of the IMF program underscores huge progress by the southern African nation in restructuring $13 billion worth of debt.
African debt repayments to Beijing overtake new Chinese loans
The shift illustrates Beijing’s changing relationship with the continent, now more focused on investments than loans.
US withdrawal from multiple UN agencies raises alarm in Kenya
Nairobi is the organization’s largest hub in the Global South.
Security
Issei Kato/File Photo/Reuters
Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters
Stringer/Reuters
Chinese tourism to Japan plummets following Taiwan spat
Beijing urged its citizens not to travel to Japan after its prime minister said her country may support Taiwan militarily.
Issei Kato/File Photo/ReutersThreat of US strike on Iran appears to wane
Officials reportedly advised US President Donald Trump that an attack would be unlikely to topple the government.
Majid Asgaripour/WANA via ReutersDefense stocks surge on rising calls for militarization
Donald Trump’s calls for a more than 50% increase to his country’s military budget have lifted the valuations of domestic arms firms.
Stringer/ReutersMedia
Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Rumors of staffing cuts spook Washington Post newsroom
Feared potential targets for cuts include the sports and international desks.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images“We’re not trying to recreate social media”: How Minnesota’s Star Tribune navigates a local crisis
The publication tries to offer a sober alternative to a social media swarm as a deadly shooting deepens the crisis in Minneapolis.
Freakonomics’ Stephen Dubner on why long-form podcasting isn’t dead yet
Stephen Dubner has spent 20 years proving that things aren’t what they seem—and now he’s not so sure that’s always true.
Streaming giants push filmmakers to adapt to ‘double screening’
Viewers are increasingly watching films and TV while also looking at their smartphones.
Die Welt editor departed amid internal inquiry
The editor of Germany’s Die Welt had been the subject of internal scrutiny in recent days by the newspaper’s parent company.
CEO Signal
Courtesy of Nasdaq/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of Bank of America/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of Suntory/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Nasdaq’s Adena Friedman on funding the AI ‘marathon’
The exchange CEO says adopting AI in enterprises requires “a massive change management exercise.”
Courtesy of Nasdaq/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforBank of America’s Brian Moynihan: ‘The pipelines are full’
“It’s clear you can get a deal done now,” says the long-tenured banker.
Courtesy of Bank of America/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforGreg Hughes on how Suntory plans to revive global spirits sales
The CEO behind Jim Beam and Hibiki says bold goals and learning from failure build long-term growth.
Courtesy of Suntory/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAD