Punch, El Mencho & The Tariff Wars

What happened in the past week?

In the middle of a grim news week, Punch, a 7-month-old Japanese macaque at Ichikawa City Zoo, has stolen hearts. Abandoned at birth, he clings to a Orangutan plush toy from IKEA, his “surrogate mother.” All while navigating Monkey Mountain hierarchies.

This week, adult female macaque Onsing finally gave him a protective hug, and another troop member groomed him, signalling full primate acceptance.

And the world cheered!

Punch still checks in with his toy when the older monkeys get stern and give him the corrections children need, but zookeepers say he’s showing real resilience.

Across Asia, IKEA has sold out of its Orangutans and sales of the toy are up 650% on resale sites.

#HangInTherePunch - you little guy, are slowly trading plush for genuine troop warmth. Here’s hoping humans follow suit!

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These are the stories that caught our eye, because nothing distracts us from connecting the dots!

📌 Mexico: After “El Mencho”

📌 Tariffs: Policy by Pendulum

📌 Hockey and the White House

📌 Canva’s Operating System Play

📌 India: AI Sovereignty and Semantics

📌 Conflict Watch

Politics This Week

Mexico: After “El Mencho”

Mexican security forces, backed by U.S. intelligence, confirmed the killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes alias “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), former police officer and one of the world’s most wanted men.

The hit was symbolically significant. But it has triggered significant narcoblockades and retaliatory violence with the number of dead rising across Mexico.

President Claudia Sheinbaum now faces one of the most difficult tests of her administration. She is currently not mirroring the overt militarism of her predecessors. Instead, she appears to be pursuing what observers describe as a “calm strategy,” prioritising transparency and civil coordination to prevent the “kingpin effect”, where a power vacuum leads to splintering and more unpredictable violence affecting North American security and trade routes.

Tariffs: Policy by Pendulum

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Trump tariffs illegal, raising questions over how long reimbursement battles with companies may drag through the courts; the European Union has delayed approval of its trade deal with Washington.

President Donald Trump imposed a new blanket 10% duty last week, raising it to 15% over the weekend in response to the ruling.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s team said it requires “full clarity” on U.S. actions following the Court’s decision. Her July deal with Trump capped most European imports into the U.S. at 15%, while Brussels agreed to remove many EU duties on American goods.

The agreement is legally binding but still requires approval from the European Parliament and EU governments.

Venezuela: Amnesty and Leverage

The brother of interim President Delcy Rodríguez, and also Venezuela’s National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez has said 1,557 political prisoners have applied for amnesty under a new law introduced last week. “Hundreds” have been claimed to have already been released and the government claims requests are being addressed “immediately” and could ultimately extend to 11,000 prisoners.. The opposition is saying the law excludes certain detainees.

The U.S. has urged Venezuela to accelerate releases since American forces seized Maduro in a 3 January raid. Venezuela’s government denies holding political prisoners.

Contrast that with Venezuela’s move at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where the country’s ambassador demanded Maduro’s “immediate release” by Washington, alongside his wife, Cilia Flores.

Society This Week

Hockey and the White House

After the furore surrounding President Trump’s remarks about being impeached if he failed to invite the gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team to the State of the Union, comments delivered as he and the team laughed following their win - The U.S. women players declined the invitation.

In a statement released Monday, the team thanked the White House for the recognition but cited prior commitments following the Games.

"We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal-winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement," the spokesperson said. "Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate. They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment."

AI This Week

Canva’s Operating System Play

Canva has shifted its trajectory with the dual acquisition of Cavalry and MangoAI, a move from template-based design tool to professional-grade creative operating system.

CEO and co-founder Melanie Perkins continues to push the democratisation of design, positioning advanced tools beyond traditional software gatekeepers.

Cavalry brings elite 2D motion design capabilities, offering a high-end animation alternative to legacy software such as Adobe After Effects and targeting the professional craft market.

MangoAI adds a layer of “performance intelligence”, using reinforcement learning to optimise video advertising based on real-world consumer data. The implication is strategic: Canva will not only enable content creation, it will learn which visuals drive engagement and adjust accordingly.

India: AI Sovereignty and Semantics

At AI Impact Summit 2026, India unveiled 12 indigenous foundation models, including the multilingual Sarvam-30B and the governance-focused BharatGen. All a part of the country’s push for frugal innovation across regional languages.

Then came the distraction.

Galgotias University’s Head of Communications, Assistant Professor Neha Singh, was filmed presenting a commercially available Chinese Unitree Go2 robot, rebranded “Orion”, as having been “developed” by the university’s Centre of Excellence.

After significant backlash, the university apologised, calling her an “ill-informed representative” who provided “factually incorrect information” in her “enthusiasm of being on camera.” Singh maintained it was semantics and her using the word “developed” referred to programming, not manufacturing.

Galgotias was ordered by organisers and the government to vacate the summit. Singh reportedly resigned soon after, updating LinkedIn to “Open to Work”. India's IT Secretary S Krishnan said the controversy should not "overshadow" the work put in by other participants at the summit.

Conflict Watch

17% of the world’s population of women lived in conflict zones in 2024. In 2026, that statistic is set to skyrocket.

💣 Iran

According to The Guardian, Donald Trump’s decision on airstrikes against Iran may hinge on the judgement of his special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, over whether Tehran is stalling on a deal to give up its nuclear weapons capacity.

💣 Gaza

More than a dozen international NGOs, including MSF, Oxfam, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE, have urged Israel’s Supreme Court to halt an expected order that would shut down 37 organisations in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

The groups were notified on 30 December 2025 that their Israeli registrations had expired and given 60 days to renew by submitting lists of Palestinian staff — a requirement critics say would have devastating consequences for Palestinians.

💣 Taiwan

Taiwan’s parliament will debate a stalled $40 billion special defence budget next week. Opposition objections have drawn concern from U.S. lawmakers.

💣 Thailand–Cambodia

Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told FRANCE 24 that tensions with Cambodia should de-escalate: “Further conflict means more losses.” He dismissed Phnom Penh’s territorial claims as “totally not correct” and accused Cambodia of “internationalising the conflict.”

💣 Sudan

Chad has closed its eastern border with Sudan after several Chadian soldiers and civilians were killed in clashes linked to Sudan’s civil war.

Communications Minister Mahamat Gassim Cherif said the move followed “repeated incursions and violations committed by the forces involved in the conflict in Sudan on Chadian territory.”

💣 Yemen

Yemeni security forces killed at least one and wounded 11 as a crowd linked to the Southern Transitional Council attempted to storm the al-Maashiq Presidential Palace in Aden, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

Exclusive footage shows several wounded at the scene.

💣 Sahel

Fighting continues in Burkina Faso. Niger junta leader Abdourahamane Tiani’s visit to Algiers last week ended a bilateral dispute ongoing since 2023 and may signal similar easing with Mali.

💣 Ukraine–Russia

On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on allies for continued support and pushed for “fast-track” EU membership, acknowledging Vladimir Putin will block it.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s state-owned Naftogaz said Russia has attacked its Kharkiv facility 26 times this year.

The UK dismissed Russian claims it planned to supply Ukraine with nuclear weapons, calling them “no truth.”

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