International Affairs

Israeli strikes intensify in Gaza after ceasefire phase two

Gaza rescue officials reported at least 32 deaths from a wave of Israeli air strikes on Saturday, and the IDF confirmed it carried out multiple strikes citing a Hamas ceasefire violation the day before.

Vietnam and the EU raise their diplomatic ties

Vietnam and the European Union announced on January 29, 2026 that they have elevated their diplomatic relations.

Panama court voids CK Hutchison’s canal port concession

Panama’s Supreme Court annulled the concession held by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings’ subsidiary Panama Ports Company to operate ports on both sides of the Panama Canal.

EU funding package for Myanmar and Rohingya relief

The European Union committed €63 million in humanitarian funding, allocating €38.6 million for aid inside Myanmar and €23.4 million for assistance to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

US clears major arms package for Israel

The US State Department approved $6.67bn in arms sales to Israel, including 30 Apache attack helicopters and infantry assault vehicles.

Venezuela moves to open its oil sector to private investment

Interim President Delcy Rodriguez signed an oil-sector reform bill into law after the National Assembly passed it, changing the legal framework to allow increased privatisation of Venezuela’s nationalised oil industry.

South Africa expels Israel’s top diplomat

South Africa’s foreign ministry declared Israeli charge d’affaires Ariel Seidman persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 72 hours.

Beijing clears Nvidia H200 chip purchases by major Chinese tech firms

Chinese authorities granted conditional licenses allowing ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent to purchase more than 400,000 Nvidia H200 AI chips in total, with additional approvals expected in coming weeks.

US targets Cuba’s oil suppliers with new tariff authority

President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorising an additional ad valorem duty on imports from any country that directly or indirectly sells or provides oil to Cuba.

India and the EU finalize a free trade pact

India and the European Union signed a free trade agreement on January 27, 2026, creating a combined market billed at roughly two billion people.

EU designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group

The European Union added Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its terrorist list.

Rwanda challenges UK over payments tied to the abandoned asylum deal

Rwanda filed arbitration at the Permanent Court of Arbitration seeking £50m in compensation from the UK for withholding a scheduled payment under the scrapped asylum-seeker agreement.

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