Banning Grok & AI Needs 10 Yottaflops

The Golden Globes, this week.

An awards ceremony that seemed to want to live in its own glam bubble.

The vibe?

All’s well with the world.

Just keep watching the glitz, the glamour and feel the billionaire envy. Sugar and (slight) spice provided.

We do credit comedienne Nikki Glaser for managing to slip in a few humour grenades past the lawyers. From Epstein redaction jokes, to a best editing award to the US Justice Department, and one for “most editing” to CBS News, the awards’ broadcaster.

“Yes, CBS News,” she said, “America’s newest place to see BS news.”

A punchline indeed. Last month, CBS pulled a 60 Minutes segment critical of the Trump administration. Weeks later, its evening news anchor closed with a “salute” to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

And a final nod from us, to actor Mark Ruffalo. Sporting a ‘Be Good’ pin he said he was too ill to pretend to be happy. Instead he chose to call out the state of the US and the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37‑year‑old mother of three and poet, shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on 7 January 2026. It is an incident that has sparked protests and a deeply contested national debate in the U.S. over law enforcement conduct.

Not 2026 Globes‑friendly.

But closer to reality than most of the night.

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

📌 Japan’s Takaichi Calls Snap Election

📌 Meloni Plans Tweaks To Italy’s Voting Rules

📌 Marine Le Pen’s Appeal

📌 Sheinbaum Says No to Trump

📌 Machado To Meet Trump

📌 Central Bankers Rally Behind Powell

📌 Are You Dead? Goes Viral In China

📌 Malaysia & Indonesia Ban X’s Deepfake AI

📌 AMD CEO: We Need 10 Yottaflops To Keep Up With AI

📌 Conflict Watch: Iran On Our Minds, and Others

Politics This Week

Japan’s Takaichi Calls Snap Election

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party plans to dissolve the Lower House later this month, setting up a snap election likely in February, NHK reports. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s approval ratings are at a historic 75%, and the LDP is aiming to capitalise on that to stabilise the coalition. Election boards across prefectures have been asked to prepare for a possible vote.

Meloni Plans Tweaks To Italy’s Voting Rules

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni plans to overhaul the voting system to boost her rightwing coalition before the 2027 elections. The Brothers of Italy party wants to scrap first-past-the-post races, which account for a third of all seats, moving to a modified proportional representation system to limit the leftwing bloc.

France’s Presidential 2027 Stakes High: Le Pen’s Appeal

France’s right wing leader Marine Le Pen’s appeal of her embezzlement conviction begins 13 January, running for a month. The verdict, expected by summer, could decide her eligibility for the 2027 presidential election. Le Pen, a three-time candidate, currently leads polls. The case centres on fictitious National Rally assistants at the European Parliament; she was sentenced in 2025 to four years’ prison (two suspended), fined €100,000, and banned from public office for five years.

Mexico’s Sheinbaum Says No to Trump

President Claudia Sheinbaum has rejected an offer from Donald Trump to use the US military against the country’s drug cartels, amid concerns over potential American pressure following Nicolás Maduro’s ouster. President Trump has warned the US would “start hitting land with regard to the cartels,” claiming they run Mexico.

Machado To Meet Trump

Trump will meet Venezuela’s opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday this week. Machado, sidelined since Maduro’s capture on 3 January, faces high stakes. Aides worry the meeting could undercut her movement if Trump downplays a democratic transition.

Business This Week

Central Bankers Rally Behind Powell

Global central bankers have voiced full support for US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell amid a criminal investigation initiated by the Trump Administration. Christine Lagarde (European Central Bank President) and Andrew Bailey (Bank of England Governor) joined others to stress that central bank independence underpins financial stability. Powell was praised for integrity, focus, and public service. Other signatories included the chiefs from Brazil, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, South Korea, Australia, and Canada.

Are You Dead? App Goes Viral In China

The paid app Are You Dead? has gone viral among young city-dwellers. Users must check in every two days to confirm they are alive; failure triggers a notification to their emergency contact. Launched in May 2025, it taps into loneliness and urban isolation of China’s youth.

Meta’s Got A New Vice Chair, She Was A Trump Whisperer

Dina Powell McCormick will serve as Meta’s new president and vice chairman. She joins the management team to help guide strategy and execution, building on her previous experience as deputy national security advisor to Trump.

AI This Week

Malaysia & Indonesia Ban X’s Deepfake AI

Malaysia and Indonesia have banned Grok AI over its ability to generate sexual deepfakes and child exploitation content. UK regulator Ofcom is currently investigating, while the UK and EU governments are pushing for legislation. Elon Musk’s company has skirted outrage and calls to shut down the ‘undressing feature’ by now restricting it to paying members. Critics call X’s move “insulting,” effectively turning harmful deepfakes into a premium service.

AMD CEO: We Need 10 Yottaflops To Keep Up With AI

At CES 2026, AMD CEO Lisa Su warned that the world will need more than 10 yottaflops (you are not alone if you never heard the term before) of compute power over the next five years to keep pace with AI growth. She also announced a new chip, claiming it enables 1.3× faster multitasking and 1.7× faster content creation than competitors.

Conflict Watch

We are never distracted by the noise.

17% of the world’s women lived in and around conflict zones in 2024.

In 2026, that figure is set to skyrocket.

Conflicts are never “far away”. They ripple through markets, supply-chains, migration, security, local politics and, however uncomfortable it is to admit, our everyday life.

Here’s what matters this week:

💣 Iran

Anti-government protests enter a third week. Death toll estimates range from several hundred to 2,000–3,000, with over 10,000 detained, amid a brutal security crackdown. The government has imposed a near-total internet shutdown for more than 100 hours. Officials blame “terrorists” and foreign powers, warning the US against military moves. Western governments and the UN condemn the violence and consider further sanctions.

💣 Gaza

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) plan renewed operations in Gaza in March, targeting Gaza City to expand Israeli control, according to officials. This week, an Israeli quadcopter killed three in Khan Younis; the police chief was shot by gunfire from a fleeing car. Air strikes and shelling have continued across the Strip. Since the October 10, 2025 ceasefire, more than 440 Palestinians have been killed and 1,200 wounded.

💣 Taiwan

Taiwan deported a Chinese fishing boat captain after he admitted damaging the Taiwan–Malaysia submarine cable. Meanwhile, Chinese officials have advised European countries, including Norway and Finland, to block Taiwanese politicians. The UK Foreign Office confirmed its entry decisions are based solely on UK law and immigration rules.

💣 Thailand–Cambodia

The US will provide $45 million in aid to Thailand and Cambodia, following last year’s border clashes. Cambodia refuses to recognise any territorial changes resulting from force, even as Thailand continues fortifying disputed border areas.

💣 Sudan

Sudan’s government has returned to Khartoum after nearly three years in Port Sudan. The army is preparing operations to retake Kordofan and Darfur from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A UN report estimates 33.7 million people will need humanitarian aid in 2026, including over 20 million requiring health assistance and 21 million facing acute food insecurity.

💣 Yemen

Thousands gathered in Aden to support a UAE-backed separatist group, a day after it dissolved itself, following recent clashes with government forces.

💣 Sahel

Some towns in Mali are negotiating with jihadist groups, adopting Sharia law and paying “protection taxes” to survive. Meanwhile, a plot to assassinate Burkina Faso’s military leader by a previously ousted officer was foiled.

💣 Ukraine–Russia

Russia launched Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missiles, including nuclear-capable hypersonic weapons, against Lviv in the most intense strikes of the year. German journalist Julian Röpke reports Russian forces are using African mercenaries as “can openers,” tasked with running into enemy positions with TM-62 mines to clear bunkers.

💣 Haiti / Cuba

Cuba rejected Trump’s demand to “make a deal” with Washington, despite threats to cut Venezuelan oil and funds. In Haiti, gang violence continues unabated.

💣 Venezuela

The US has seized a fifth Venezuelan oil tanker. Caracas has reopened oil wells while a US team assesses the potential reopening of its embassy. Venezuela is releasing political detainees in a goodwill gesture. Trump is urging ExxonMobil, Chevron, and others to invest $100 billion in infrastructure, but responses are lukewarm; he has threatened to block ExxonMobil after the company labelled Venezuela “uninvestable.”

A Request to our subscribers:

Please SHARE & COMMENT if what we cover resonates with you! These are the only ways to keep The Chief Brief free and possible, by expanding our reach!

Help us beat the algorithm! Spread the word! Women are more than a check box in the world’s affairs!