Latest news for 20 January 2026

RUSSIA

Putin on the board.

President Trump has confirmed Kremlin reports that Trump invited his Russian counterpart to join Gaza’s new ‘Board of Peace’. (Guardian)

Comment: This new Board has struggled to get on its feet — the job itself (Gaza’s future) is tough enough, then add the reported billion dollar entrance fee, and now throw a war criminal like Putin in the mix? Still, apparently Morocco’s king is firming up as the Board’s next member — he’ll feel a debt of gratitude after Trump 1.0 recognised Morocco’s claims over Western Sahara.

CHINA

Important numbers.

Two key numbers have emerged out of China this week: first, birth rates declined 17% to a new record low in 2025. And second, authorities claim the economy still hit its 5% growth target despite a Q4 slowdown and weak domestic demand. (AP)

JAPAN

Snap election.

Prime Minister Takaichi has called a snap election for 8 February, just three months after her party first elevated her to the top gig. (Japan Times)

Comment: It’s a bet her remarkably high approvals will not only deliver her a stronger mandate and a wider majority, but also a big rebuke to China’s naked efforts to tank her hawkish tenure before it gets too entrenched.

PORTUGAL

Runoff election.

The left’s António José Seguro has won the most votes in Sunday’s presidential elections, edging out the right’s firebrand André Ventura. But with neither winning a majority, the two now go to a runoff on 8 February (busy day). (Politico)

VIETNAM

Leave your phone outside.

Vietnam’s Communist Party has kicked off its five-yearly congress, with 1,600 delegates likely to rubber-stamp incumbent To Lam’s bid to consolidate power (Reuters)

Comment: Security is unusually tight even by Vietnam standards — to us, that reflects the Party’s years of quiet instability at the top, with head honchos jamming phone signals to thwart any rival cliques as much as any foreign eavesdroppers.

SYRIA

Ceasefire signed.

Syria’s government has signed a 14-point deal with the country’s main Kurdish faction (the SDF) after two weeks of fighting in which the Kurds lost huge swathes of the northeast, where they’d been a US ally against ISIS. (Washington Post $)

Comment: This is a stunning defeat for the Kurds, though one encouraging sign is Syria’s administration paired its military offensive with a conciliatory decree recognising Kurdish as a national language. Still, Syria’s Kurds will need more than words to feel safe under al-Sharaa’s rule.

GUATEMALA

State of emergency.

President Arévalo has announced a 30-day state of emergency after gang-led prison riots left eight police officers dead while demanding a transfer to lower-security prisons. (Guardian)

Comment: Anti-corruption campaigner Arévalo took power against the odds in 2024, overcoming an establishment determined to keep him out. Two years on, this story is a brutal reminder of just some of what he’s up against.