“Five soldiers and one police officer have been killed in an ambush in northwest Nigeria, the Nigerian army said on Tuesday. The attack occurred in Zamfara state on Monday, army spokesman David Adewusi said in a statement. … Northern Nigeria has been the hardest-hit part of the country, with a surge in kidnappings for ransom by gunmen across the northwest and north-central regions over the recent months, alongside an insurgency in the northeast. Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law.” (01/21/26)
“Starting March 1, Steak ‘n Shake will provide hourly employees at its company-operated restaurants with a bitcoin bonus of $0.21 for every hour worked. The BTC rewards will vest over a two-year period, allowing employees to collect their bitcoin after meeting the vesting requirement. The initiative, supported by Fold, reflects the company’s commitment to employee incentives while embracing digital assets.” (01/21/26)
“The Federal Court has set aside a government order for TikTok to wind down operations in Canada, meaning the social media company can keep running its offices here while the industry minister conducts another review. In 2024, the Liberal government ordered TikTok to close its offices in Canada, citing national security concerns, but stopped short of banning the app for users. On Wednesday, a federal judge shelved the government’s order and requested that Industry Minister Melanie Joly conduct a new review. A TikTok Canada spokesperson says the tech company welcomes the decision and looks forward to working with Joly.” (01/21/26)
“An Israeli air strike killed an AFP freelancer and two other journalists in Gaza on Wednesday, the territory’s civil defence agency said, while the military said it struck ‘suspects’ operating a drone. Since October 10, a fragile US-sponsored ceasefire in Gaza has largely halted the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, but both sides have alleged frequent violations. … According to an eyewitness, the journalists were using a drone to take images of aid distribution by the Egyptian Relief Committee in the Gaza Strip when a strike targeted a vehicle accompanying them. Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas called the strike ‘a dangerous escalation of the flagrant violations of the ceasefire agreement.'” (01/21/26)
“Peru’s interim president, Jose Jeri, is facing a preliminary investigation over his dealings by the Attorney General’s Office just 100 days into his term after replacing ousted former President Dina Boluarte. Jeri has come under scrutiny amid suspicions that he may have sought to favor a businessman of Chinese origin in award contracts without a public bidding process. The probe began Thursday with allegations of illegal sponsorship of interests and influence peddling after reports that Jeri held meetings with businessman Zhihua Yang outside the Government Palace that were not recorded on the official presidential agenda, the newspaper La Republica reported.” (01/21/26)
“A Japanese court sentenced a man who admitted assassinating former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe to life imprisonment on Wednesday. The case has revealed decades of cozy ties between Japan’s governing party and a controversial South Korean church. Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, earlier pleaded guilty to killing Abe in July 2022 during his election campaign speech in the western city of Nara. … Yamagami pleaded guilty to murder in the trial that started in October.” (01/21/26)
“Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he would support impeachment articles against two federal judges, including one who has ruled against President Trump’s interests in high-profile cases. Johnson during a press conference Wednesday was asked about calls from some Republicans to bring up articles of impeachment against Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and Judge Deborah Boardman of the U.S. District Court in Maryland. … Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) in March 2025 introduced articles of impeachment against Boasberg over his court decisions blocking Trump from deporting some migrants under the Alien Enemies Act …. [US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also took issue with Boardman’s sentencing decision for Sophie Roske, who was charged under birth name Nicholas Roske for traveling across the country with the intention of killing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Boardman sentenced Roske to eight years in prison, far less than prosecutors’ request of at least 30 years.” (01/21/26)
“EU lawmakers voted on Wednesday to challenge the European Union’s contentious free trade agreement with South America in the bloc’s top court, a move that could delay the deal by two years and potentially derail it. The European Union signed its largest-ever trade pact with Mercosur members Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay on Saturday. The agreement still requires approval before it can take effect. Opponents, led by France, the EU’s largest agricultural producer, say the deal will sharply increase imports of cheap beef, sugar and poultry, undercutting domestic farmers who have staged repeated protests.” (01/21/26)
“A federal agent opened fire in southern California Wednesday after a criminal illegal [sic] immigrant ‘weaponized his vehicle and rammed law enforcement’ during an attempt to evade [abduction], the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital. A spokesperson said the incident happened Wednesday morning in Compton as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation ‘to [abduct] a violent criminal illegal [sic] alien from El Salvador, William Eduardo Moran Carballo, who is involved in a human smuggling operation and has two prior arrests for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant.’ ‘In a dangerous attempt to evade [abduction], this criminal illegal [sic] alien weaponized his vehicle and rammed law enforcement. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired defensive shots,’ the DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. ” (01/21/25)
“Jeff Bezos’[s] space venture Blue Origin announced Wednesday it plans to deploy 5,408 satellites into space for a communications network that will take on SpaceX and Amazon. The network, called TeraWave, is targeted for enterprise, data center and government users. The company said it will provide data speeds of ‘up to 6 terabits per second’ from satellites positioned in low Earth orbit and medium Earth orbit, regions of space that are between 100 miles and 21,000 miles from the Earth’s surface. Blue Origin said it expects to begin deploying its constellation in the fourth quarter of 2027.” (01/21/26)
