* The U.S. government began a partial shutdown on Saturday after Congress failed to approve the 2026 budget before a midnight funding deadline, though disruptions were expected to be limited as the House set to move early next week to ratify a Senate-backed deal.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin has summarized the results and outlined priorities for the development of Russia's military-technical cooperation (MTC) with foreign states, the Kremlin press service reported.
* Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said Friday that Cuba has declared an "international emergency" in response to a recent executive order of tariff threats issued by U.S. President Donald Trump.
* The Venezuelan government on Friday rejected a U.S. executive order that seeks to impose so-called "punitive measures" on countries maintaining commercial relations with Cuba.
* No agreement on Greenland has been reached and the situation remains challenging, Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in an interview with the Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation published on Friday.
* Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez announced late Friday the launch of a general amnesty process covering political violence, beginning with the promotion of a general amnesty law.
* The Iraqi parliament said on Friday it will hold a session on Sunday to elect the country's new president. The session, set to begin at 11:00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT), will also include the constitutional oath for some newly elected lawmakers.
* The government of Burkina Faso has adopted a decree dissolving all political parties and groupings, along with a draft law repealing the legal framework governing their operations, financing and the status of the opposition leader, a senior official said Thursday.
* The White House has approved massive new arms sales totaling 15.67 billion USD to Israel and Saudi Arabia, two major U.S. allies in the Middle East, amid tensions over Iran's unrest, the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Friday.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday suggested that the White House has privately communicated a deadline to Iran to reach a deal, while declining to disclose the timing publicly.
* Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday that Tehran has consistently pursued engagement and dialogue to resolve disputes and is not seeking war.
* Israel on Friday declared South Africa's senior diplomatic representative persona non grata after its own charge d'affaires to South Africa was ordered to leave the country. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the decision in a statement, ordering the South African diplomat Shaun Byneveldt to leave Israel within 72 hours.
* Germany's second-largest trade union Verdi on Friday called for nationwide strikes affecting local public transport services next Monday. The strikes will target municipal transport companies, with services in many cities expected to be largely suspended. Verdi said the action aims to increase pressure on employers amid ongoing negotiations over working conditions and pay.
* Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke Friday by phone with European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas to discuss regional developments and de-escalation strategies.
* The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Friday urged action to improve the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement that states should capitalize on the momentum generated by the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to urgently address Gaza's deteriorating humanitarian conditions.
* At least 10 security officials and 37 militants were killed when security forces repulsed coordinated terrorist attacks in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, security sources said on Saturday.
* The UN Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution to renew the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for a year, until Jan. 31, 2027. Resolution 2815 affirms the Security Council's intention to continue to closely monitor the situation in Cyprus and its readiness to review the implementation of this resolution.
* At least 12 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on Saturday, multiple sources reported, citing hospital officials in the enclave. The strikes hit locations in northern and southern Gaza, including an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent in Khan Younis.
* The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday it is scaling up food aid for tens of thousands of families displaced by renewed fighting in northeastern Syria.
* At least 200 miners were killed after several mine shafts collapsed at coltan sites in Rubaya of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a spokesperson for the March 23 Movement rebel group confirmed on Friday.
* The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that two laboratory-confirmed cases of Nipah virus (NiV) infection have been reported in India. In its latest Disease Outbreak News, the WHO said that the National IHR Focal Point for India on Monday notified it of the two cases detected in West Bengal State.
* The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has postponed the wet dress rehearsal and launch timeline for its Artemis II crewed mission to the Moon due to cold weather, the agency said Friday.
* The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday that January 2026 was marked by frequent extreme weather events worldwide, with unusual heat, cold and heavy rainfall occurring in succession and causing significant economic, environmental, and human losses.
* January 2026 has become the snowiest month in Moscow in more than two centuries, Moscow State University (MSU) said on its official website on Thursday. Air temperatures in Moscow were 1.5 degrees Celsius below the climatic norm of minus 6.2 degrees Celsius for January, according to data as of Jan. 29, it said.
* The Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) has rescued 21 local and foreign tourists from drowning during lifesaving operations conducted in January, SLCG said in a press release on Saturday.
