A sharp turn in India’s Supreme Court hearing has revived the prospect of near-term limits on WhatsApp’s ability to share user data with other Meta entities. Rooted in the 2021 privacy policy dispute, the case carries immediate implications for Meta’s India monetization strategy, privacy and antitrust exposure, and the country’s evolving data sovereignty stance.

Jan 13, 2026•@elena1•Rio Tinto plc

Rio Tinto and Glencore have confirmed early-stage takeover talks that could reshape the global mining sector, with UK takeover rules forcing Rio to decide by Feb. 5 while investors, rivals and regulators focus on coal exposure, the value of Glencore’s trading arm and the geopolitical stakes around copper.

In early January 2026, a VDA-backed automotive software initiative announced a major expansion, bringing together more than 30 automakers, suppliers, chipmakers, and software firms around a shared open-source stack for software-defined vehicles. The move reflects growing pressure on the auto industry to reduce software costs, speed up development, and respond to tech-native competitors.

As of mid-December, EU institutions finalized a political deal that will require every EU member state to run a foreign direct investment (FDI) screening regime and to scrutinize investment in a defined set of sensitive sectors.

Romania has publicly aligned with the pro-trade camp backing the EU–Mercosur deal just as EU leaders rushed to bolt on tougher agricultural safeguards and France reiterated it is not ready to sign—pushing the pact’s planned Dec 20 signature into early January and turning Council vote arithmetic into the decisive battlefield.

Freedom Holding Corp., the Kazakh-rooted financial group listed on Nasdaq, is positioning itself at the center of Kazakhstan’s push to build “sovereign AI” infrastructure, deepening its ties with OpenAI and the Kazakh government even as past U.S. regulatory scrutiny continues to shadow the firm.

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited’s long-gestating takeover of Telenor Pakistan is finally within touching distance, setting up one of the most consequential restructurings of the country’s telecom sector in two decades.

Kazakhstan’s flagship carrier Air Astana and Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer are in talks to establish a joint venture for regional jet assembly or localized maintenance. The plan, backed by the Ministry of Industry, could transform the country into a manufacturing and service hub for medium-range aircraft serving Central Asia.

Japanese exporters are holding off rerouting ships through the Red Sea despite ceasefire optimism, as Houthi attacks and high war-risk premiums persist. Ongoing surcharges, longer voyages via Africa, and insurance uncertainty are forcing firms to balance costs, delivery times, and supply security into 2026.