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Top U.S. advisers warned President Trump that a large-scale strike on Iran would be unlikely to topple the regime and could provoke wider retaliation, prompting allies including Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to urge caution. Washington is moving forces and missile-defence assets into the region to preserve options while internal debate continues over whether limited strikes can deliver meaningful results without triggering broader conflict.

Hangtian Hongtu has signed a 2.8 billion yuan aerospace project in Suzhou, Anhui, to build a LOX‑methane rocket manufacturing base and a compute‑enabled radar satellite constellation, aiming for an eventual annual output of 20 rockets. The expansion comes as the company endures multi‑year losses and seeks international contracts, highlighting both the industrialisation of China's commercial space sector and the financial risks of rapid scaling.

Prominent economist Ren Zeping has publicly accepted an apology from private-equity boss Dan Bin, ending a high-profile social-media feud over the strength and nature of China’s post‑September 2024 stock-market rally. The truce calms a bout of acrimony between two influential market voices but does not erase the substantive disagreements about the rally’s durability.

Honor has released a MOLLY‑themed limited edition of its 500 Pro smartphone in partnership with Pop Mart, combining custom hardware styling and system animations with collectible IP to drive sales. Priced at ¥4,499 (¥3,999 after subsidy) and on sale 25 January, the device underscores a wider industry trend of using cultural collaborations to attract younger buyers in a crowded Chinese smartphone market.

OpenAI plans to ship its first hardware device in 2026, signalling a strategic move to control the AI endpoint and diversify revenue beyond cloud services. The launch raises technical, commercial and regulatory challenges but could reshape competition between model builders and incumbent tech hardware ecosystems.

OpenAI told Davos it is likely to unveil its first consumer hardware in the second half of 2026, though no firm commitment or details were provided. The move would extend the company's push beyond software and subscriptions into tangible products, amplifying revenue diversification, supply-chain and regulatory challenges.

Zhonghaida (300177.SZ) told investors that its inertial measurement units provide robots with real‑time 3D attitude sensing, supporting balance and movement. The brief disclosure signals the company’s role as a sensor supplier to the growing Chinese robotics industry, but it stops short of detailing product grades, customers or commercial impact.

A US lawmaker warned that any US use of force to seize Greenland would pit Washington against NATO allies and violate alliance norms. The remark highlights Greenland’s strategic importance in a competitive Arctic and the diplomatic, legal and operational costs of unilateral action against an allied territory.

Systematic demolitions and infrastructure clearances in West Bank refugee camps since January 2025 have displaced over 40,000 Palestinians, marking the largest displacement since 1967. What began as a military security operation has produced a protracted humanitarian crisis that is lowering Palestinians' expectations from a political "right of return" to the immediate right to regain their refugee‑camp homes.

Denmark will not attend the World Economic Forum in Davos this week amid a dispute sparked by U.S. tariffs tied to President Trump’s demand that the U.S. be allowed to purchase Greenland. European governments have condemned the move as damaging to transatlantic relations, raising the prospect of diplomatic and trade escalation.

Iraq announced full control of Al Asad Airbase on 17 January, a move that carries heavy symbolic weight after decades of foreign intervention and recent anti‑U.S. sentiment. While returning the base to Iraqi hands addresses sovereignty concerns, it does not resolve deep governance, security and regional‑influence challenges that will determine whether the transfer helps stabilise the country.

An explosion in Kabul on 19 January killed seven people, including one Chinese national, and injured several others. The blast near a Sino‑Afghan restaurant has prompted a Chinese embassy security advisory and highlights the ongoing risks to foreign nationals and projects in Afghanistan.

Zhejiang securities regulators have fined and banned a well‑known Xueqiu account operator, Jin Yongrong, for manipulating markets by recommending stocks and then selling into the buying pressure he created. The bureau confiscated RMB 41.62 million in illicit gains, imposed an equal fine and a three‑year market ban, rejecting Jin’s defenses about intent and reach.

Yanjiang Co., a Shenzhen-listed maker of diaper and hygiene-product materials, has proposed to acquire 98.54% of Ningbo Yongqiang Technology, a semiconductor-materials company, using a mix of shares and cash. The transaction is incomplete: audits and valuation are pending, and the deal will likely be treated as a related-party transaction because certain sellers will hold more than 5% of the listed stock post-deal.

At a January event, Hisense executive Liu Weijie argued that RGB‑Mini LED — a colour‑direct backlight technology — resolves long‑standing tradeoffs between image quality, energy efficiency and eye health. He said the technology’s long path to industrialisation creates durable barriers that have allowed Chinese firms to move from imitators to ecosystem leaders, and signalled a broader industry pivot from specifications to user value.

Germany has reintroduced a tiered EV purchase subsidy offering €1,500–€6,000 per private buyer for new registrations from 1 January 2026, backed by €3 billion over three years and intended to support up to 800,000 vehicles. The measure aims to revive household demand, protect domestic automakers amid international competition, and accelerate the country’s shift to electric mobility, though it poses fiscal, regulatory and infrastructure challenges.

Germany has reinstated purchase subsidies for electric cars, offering between €1,500 and €6,000 to private buyers of new battery electrics and certain hybrids registering from 1 January 2026. The policy aims to boost demand, protect domestic industry and accelerate decarbonisation, but its effectiveness will depend on targeting, uptake and complementary investments in infrastructure.

Gemini usage has surged, with API calls topping about 85 billion and enterprise subscriptions reaching around 8 million, driving higher demand for Google Cloud compute and services. This adoption strengthens Google’s ability to monetize AI through cloud infrastructure sales while raising margin, competition and regulatory questions.

A viral Chinese meme app has ignited a rush to build lightweight, single‑purpose apps, with traditional development quoted at about RMB4,000–6,000 and AI tools able to produce basic apps in minutes. The trend lowers technical barriers and increases experimentation, but also risks market saturation, hidden compliance costs, and fragile AI‑generated code.