Latest news for 9 January 2026

CHINA

AI IPO season.

MiniMax has become the second ‘AI tiger’ (China-based AI startup) to IPO in Hong Kong this week, after Zhipu. Both have since soared amid wider AI enthusiasm. (Reuters)

Comment: By way of context, the week’s two tigers have a market cap of under $15B each, while US-based OpenAI is valued at ~$500B.

UNITED KINGDOM

Mining mammoths merge?

Anglo-Swiss mining giant Glencore has resumed talks about a potential $260B merger with British-Australian multinational Rio Tinto, a move that would establish the world’s biggest mining company. (Guardian)

Comment: The mining M&A scene remains hot, amid strong commodity prices and the race to secure critical minerals.

SOUTH KOREA

Our turn.

South Korea’s shipping ministry has scheduled its first trial Arctic voyage for September, through the Arctic corridor from Busan to Rotterdam. (Splash247)

Comment: China pulled off its first such Arctic voyage a few months ago, slashing shipping times when weather allows. We explored the significance here.

UNITED STATES

That’s enough.

Senate lawmakers have advanced a motion that would prevent President Trump from taking more military action in Venezuela without Congressional approval. Meanwhile, Trump says US control over Venezuela could last years. (CNN)

LEBANON

Remote control.

The Lebanese army has announced it’s taken operational control of southern Lebanon from Hezbollah, per the 2024 ceasefire deal with Israel. (Reuters)

Comment: Israel has justified its presence (and airstrikes) on the grounds Lebanon’s army hadn’t yet hit this milestone. Bibi’s office has welcomed the announcement but says it’s still “far from sufficient”, arguing Hezbollah is still trying to rearm.

ITALY

Decisive vote.

EU members are due to vote today (Friday) on whether to finally approve the bloc’s massive trade deal with Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay), after a quarter century of talks. The measure needs 15 of the EU’s 27 members (covering 65% or more of the bloc’s population) to pass, with Rome emerging as the deciding vote. The Italians are hinting they’ll vote yes after Meloni’s last-minute handbrake last month managed to extract more sweeteners for farmers. (Politico)

Comment: That’s a politically convenient outcome for France's Macron — he can tell his angry farmers he opposed the deal, without derailing an outcome the Germans (and many non-farmers across France) need.

SINGAPORE

World’s tallest farm.

The city-state has opened the world’s tallest indoor vertical farm, using AI and robots to produce an estimated 2,000 tonnes of greens each year. (Straits Times)

Comment: It’s no coincidence the island importing 90% of its food is charging ahead with any agritech capable of breaking its dependencies.