Policy & Regulation

Pornhub blocks new UK sign-ups

Pornhub said it will begin blocking new user registrations in the UK on February 2, limiting access to existing accounts that have completed age verification.

Trump picks Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve

President Donald Trump nominated Kevin Warsh on Jan. 30, 2026, to serve as the next chair of the Federal Reserve, pending Senate confirmation.

India raises taxes on tobacco and pan masala

From Feb. 1, the Centre will apply higher GST plus new excise duties and a dedicated health and national security cess, and will shift certain tobacco products to an MRP-based valuation for GST calculation.

US federal agencies enter a partial shutdown

A funding lapse took effect at midnight Saturday after the Senate passed a stopgap bill that has not yet been approved by the House.

US state attorneys general move against xAI over Grok-generated sexual imagery

A bipartisan group of 35 state and territory attorneys general issued an open letter demanding xAI immediately add safeguards to prevent Grok from generating and spreading nonconsensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material.

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.

Burkina Faso junta ends multiparty politics

Burkina Faso’s military-led government issued a decree dissolving all political parties and political formations and ordering their assets transferred to the state.

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.

Federal Reserve holds rates steady

The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at about 3.6% at its January 28, 2026 meeting after cutting rates three times in 2025.

Texas freezes state hiring via H-1B

Governor Greg Abbott ordered Texas state agencies and public universities to stop filing new H-1B visa petitions until 2027, with exceptions only if approved by the Texas Workforce Commission.

Federal court halts move to end parole for family reunification migrants

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a preliminary injunction on Jan. 24, 2026 blocking the Department of Homeland Security from terminating humanitarian parole for more than 8,400 people from seven Latin American countries admitted under family reunification programs.

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