Tue 27 January 2026
Venezuela
The Venezuelan nation’s interim leader Delsie Rodriguez, the former VP under Nicolas Maduro, is striking A defiant tone toward Washington in comments that quickly rippled through Caracas and beyond, Rodriguez said Venezuela has had enough of taking orders from the US. The message was unmistakable. Whatever role Washington played in Maduros fall, Rodriguez wants it understood that she is not governing at America's direction. Rodriguez is speaking to a domestic audience that has spent years marinating in anti-American rhetoric alongside her old boss Maduro. Publicly pushing back against Washington helps her shore up nationalist credentials and blunt criticism that she has simply become a U.S. backed placeholder. In that sense, the comments could be as much about optics as policy. But rhetoric aside, the more interesting question is this,
What has actually changed in Venezuela since Maduro's removal, and what hasn't?
Well, according to new reporting from the New York Times, on the economic front, the shift has been dramatic. In just three weeks, Rodriguez has moved aggressively to liberalise Venezuela's economy. With President Trump's blessing, her government has redirected oil exports away from China and toward the far more lucrative U.S. market. The first tranche of oil revenue, roughly $300 million, has already been injected into Venezuela's banking system, stabilising the currency and easing fears of another hyper inflationary spiral. She's also busy rewriting laws to attract foreign investment, boost wages and introduce a degree of transparency that implicitly acknowledges what everyone already knows, that for years the Venezuelan state was looted under Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez. Markets have responded to the developments with some enthusiasm. Caracas is small, its stock exchanges rally and real estate prices are surging, and Venezuelan bonds, long considered toxic, are climbing on expectations of a debt restructuring. Foreign investors are flying in, buying mines and factories and properties that were devastated during years of economic collapse. And Rodriguez herself has been encouraging optimism. Just not too much of it. In a recent televised address to governors and mayors, she promised the 2026 would be a better year, projecting confidence and momentum. But that economic opening is unfolding in the shadow of a political system that looks, in many ways, eerily familiar. The fall of Maduro didn't necessarily change much In terms of the centres of power in Caracas, it basically just rearranged the deckchairs. Venezuela's repressive security apparatus remains largely intact. Armed checkpoints still dot the capitol. Security forces continue stopping drivers, checking phones and maintaining a climate of quiet intimidation. Freedom of expression remains tightly constrained, with journalists reportedly threatened for touching on taboo topics, including the circumstances of Maduro's removal and calls for new elections, and then there's the issue of political prisoners. The interim government is continued releasing detainees, including many high profile names over the weekend alone, the Caracas based human rights group Foro Penal said at least 104 political prisoners were released, with the number potentially rising further. That follows earlier releases that in total, numbers in the hundreds. But for many families, the process feels agonisingly slow. Hundreds of detainees remain behind bars and new arrests have reportedly taken the place of some of those freed, a pattern that critics have long described as Venezuela's revolving door of repression. The releases are real, but they appear carefully managed, incremental and far from a clean break with the past. Behind the scenes, Rodriguez has also been quietly consolidating power. She's demoted or fired several Maduro loyalists and reshuffled the military second tier moves that suggests she's not merely caretaking the system but actively reshaping it. At the same time, she continues to publicly insist that she's just a temporary steward awaiting Maduros return. All of this has led critics to an unflattering but memorable comparison. They argue Rodriguez is attempting a version of the China model. Market liberalisation without political opening. Open the economy, attract capital, raise living standards but keep a tight grip on power. The nickname ‘making the rounds in Caracas’ is a nod to Deng Xiaoping and China's path of economic reform under one party rule. Whether that strategy can work in Venezuela is an open question. Unlike China in the 1980s, Venezuela today is a more open society, deeply polarised and heavily dependent on outside powers. Particularly now, of course, the U.S. for economic survival. Economic growth may raise expectations for political participation that the system is not yet prepared to meet. So, while Rodriguez throws shade at Washington and insists Venezuela is done taking orders, the reality is more complicated. The economy is opening fast, political change is happening in a much slower pace, and the balance that she's trying to strike may prove far harder to sustain than the rhetoric suggests.
Israel's behind the scenes effort to weaken Hamas through rival militias in Gaza, and Israel confirms the recovery of the last remaining hostage, clearing up a key hurdle in the peace plan
A new report from the Wall Street Journal is giving us important new insight into how this strategy is actually playing out on the ground and in many ways, it's confirming what we've been saying for some time – that this is part of a broader, deliberate Israeli effort to weaken Hamas from the inside, even while Israeli forces themselves are constrained by ceasefire terms. According to the Journal's reporting, Israel is backing several pop-up Palestinian militias that share a common enemy in Hamas. These groups are conducting direct attacks against Hamas personnel, including targeted killings in areas that are officially off limits to Israeli troops under the ceasefire. In other words, where the IDF can't go, these militias can and do. One case highlighted in the report involves A militia leader who publicly claimed responsibility for killing a Hamas police official inside Hamas controlled territory and openly threatened further attacks. Hamas, for its part, has responded by labelling these fighters ‘collaborators’ and issuing warnings that quote the price of betrayal will be severe. What's striking is the level of Israeli involvement described. Israeli officials and military reservists told the Journal that Israel provides these militias with intelligence, drone surveillance, food and weapons. Some militia members have even reportedly been evacuated to Israeli hospitals after being wounded. Israeli forces closely monitor their operations and, when necessary, intervene if Hamas attempts to target them. This arrangement gives Israel a significant tactical advantage with its own forces limited by its ceasefire lines, these malicious can operate inside Hamas held zones, areas that Israeli troops are supposed to avoid. In one example, members of another Israeli backed group were used to help draw Hamas fighters out of tunnels in Rafa while Israeli forces pumped explosives into the tunnel network. But the Journal also makes clear that this strategy comes with serious limitations and risks. Despite occasional tactical successes, the militias have not meaningfully reduced Hamas’s overall control in Gaza. Hamas still dominates most of the territory and is actively working to rebuild its military structure. Some of the malicious themselves have chequered pasts, including involvement in criminal activity and aid theft during the war. There's also the legitimacy problem. Many residents view these groups as collaborators with Israel, not as credible alternatives to Hamas. That perception alone makes it difficult for them to evolve into any kind of governing force.
There's also the long-term concern that malitias by their very own nature serve their own interests first. Loyalty is transactional. And as one former Israeli officer put it, “a militia that works with you today can turn on you tomorrow”. So all of this raises a critical question.
What happens next?
President Trump's peace plan envisions Israel eventually withdrawing to a buffer zone around Gaza after Hamas is disarmed, if Hamas is ever disarmed. If that happens, these malicious could be left exposed, facing arrest and even execution. But for now, Israel's militia strategy appears to be a tactical work around – a way to keep pressure on Hamas without violating ceasefire terms. It may deliver short term gains, but as the Wall Street Journal reporting makes clear, it's a strategy with no clean exit, and one that carries real strategic risk the longer it continues.
Recovered remains of the last Israeli hostage still held in the enclave
This is a development that fulfils a key condition of the initial phase of the US-led ceasefire reached in October and one they could now pave the way for reopening the Rafah crossing with Egypt. On Monday, Israel's military announced it had identified the remains of Master Sergeant Ran Gvilli – who was killed during the Hamas-led October 7th attacks, and whose remains were held in Gaza for more than 840 days. Prime Minister Netanyahu called the recovery an unbelievable achievement, adding, “Ran Gvilli is a hero of Israel who went in first and he emerged last. Israeli coverage framed the return as a moment of national closure and healing, after a long and emotionally charged hostage chapter. According to a report from Reuters, this is the first time since 2014 that no Israeli hostages are being held in Gaza.
Now the recovery has two immediate implications of note for both Israel and the war-torn enclave. First, it clears a key, Isreali precondition for reopening Rafa – Gaza's main gateway to the outside world. Netanyahu's office has said the crossing would reopen after the search for the last captain's remains was completed, and with that mission now declared complete, Rafa could reopen in a limited capacity within days. For travellers on foot, I'll be it under heavy Israeli and Egyptian scrutiny. Second, it advances the mechanics of a ceasefire structure that has been moving forward in pieces, often slowly, and conditionally.
What comes next?
With that in mind, what does this mean in the near term for Gaza residents? Well, for Palestinians, reopening Rafa would, at least in theory, create a path for people who left Gaza during the war to return and for medical evacuations to resume at a greater scale. The need for such assistance is great as 8 officials say, the number of people in Gaza requiring medical care abroad is believed to exceed 18,000. But there's also a second layer off is reopening that's easy to miss and that's information control. According to reporting from the New York Times, Israel is still refusing to allow foreign journalists in the Gaza in a consistent manner. Even more than three months into the ceasefire, arguing in court as recently as Monday that such access would endanger Israeli soldiers. The Israeli Supreme Court has taken up the issue, but the reopening of Rafa could become a practical work around for journalists, allowing them to attempt entry via Egypt even as Israel maintains restrictions from its side of the border.
What's next for Gaza?
Well, the recovery of Gvilli’s remains fundamentally changes the political terrain. With the hostages chapter now effectively closed, Israel's immediate domestic pressure eases, but the focus shifts to a far harder set of questions. U.S. Officials say discussions are already turning toward phase two of the ceasefire, which will cover demilitarisation and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. How Gaza would be governed, how Isreali forces withdraw down and whether an international or technocratic administration could realistically take hold in the territory. Critically, Phase 2 is expected to centre on Hamas’s full disarmament. As far as the Rafah crossing goes, if it reopens in a narrow, tightly screened fashion, as Israel has indicated it prefers, it becomes a point of leverage over movement, medical evacuations, aid flow into who is allowed back into Gaza. If it opens more broadly, well, it could accelerate humanitarian relief and external engagement but risk complicating efforts to tightly control Gaza's post war trajectory. All of this underscores how fragile, of course, the ceasefire remains. Hamas appears to be signalling cooperation and with the terror group claiming information it provided did help locate Gvilli’s remains. While Israel appears ready to implement the reopening of the Rafah border. But those were frankly the easier obligations. The harder disputes, including demilitarisation, governance and security guarantees, are now squarely on the table, and they're exactly where previous ceasefires have broken down.
Tik Tok finalizes a deal that keeps the app alive for more than 200 million Americans
After years of threats and court fights, TikTok says it has finalised A restructuring deal designed to keep the app operating in the US, closing the door on a potential ban while appearing to address long running national security concerns over Chinese ownership and algorithmics influence. The deal was finalised late last week and creates a new US based entity that will oversee Tik Tok's American operations. Under the agreement, American and global investors including Oracle and Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi based MGX, will hold a roughly 80% controlling stake in the joint venture, a level designed to meet statutory thresholds intended to limit foreign adversarial control. Meanwhile, the Chinese company Byte Dance, which previously controlled the app, will retain A minority share, just under 20%. Critically, American users are not expected to migrate to a different product. Instead, TikTok is framed this as the same app experience under new governance and controls. Additionally, the new joint venture said it will retrain, test and update Tik Toks recommendation algorithm using the US user data, and that both the data and the algorithm will be secured in Oracle's US cloud environment with a cybersecurity programme that will be subject to audits and 3rd party certifications. On paper, that structure is designed to satisfy the divest law the Congress passed back in 2024. That law aimed to sever Chinese control over platforms deemed national security risks. The Trump administration is framing the deal as meeting the laws core requirements, lowering the immediate risk of TikTok being removed from US app stores. President Trump himself praised the deal on his favourite platform Truth Social, specifically thanking Chinese leaders Xi Jinping for helping get it over the finish line, but major questions remain over whether Washington truly has control over the platform’s most sensitive machinery, which brings us back to the algorithm. Rather than being sold outright, Byte Dance plans to licence the recommendation algorithm to the US entity, where, as mentioned above, it would be retrained using American data under the US based oversight. TikTok and its partners argue that this creates an effective firewall against foreign manipulation but critics counter that licencing still leaves Byte Dance close to the platform's most powerful lever, one capable of shaping content, visibility and influence at scale. That tension is already driving pushback on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers from both parties have signalled plans to closely examine whether the new structure meaningfully limits foreign leverage, or whether it's simply reshapes ownership while leaving algorithmics influence largely intact. However, this deal achieves something important in the near term. It avoids an abrupt Tick Tock shut down and gives the White House a defensible compliance framework. But it doesn't end the debate that's been building for years, over how democratic governments regulate platforms whose strategic value lies not in their data alone, but in how their algorithms decide what millions of people will see.
That’s today’s News Brief. Remember, if you see any spelling or grammar mistakes, make note, and correct them.
